Running Man: The 20th Hunger Games
by SilverflowerXRavenpaw
Summary: Hunger Games story with Running Man elements. Let's do this thing.
1. Chapter 1

**Gamemaker #3**

You know what?

Screw.

These.

Short.

POVs.

* * *

 **Once upon a time, an interesting idea came to me: An Arena with hunters as well as tributes, where everything can get insane. I slowly worked at it and worked at it, perfecting the idea until it wasn't entirely nonsensical. Well, the Games are directed at the Capitolites, so why not let the Capitolites play? If y'all have read/seen the Running Man, you know where this is going.**

 **Quick summary for those who haven't: Game show where contestants are hunted down and killed by selected people in town. Selected people are idolized and rewarded.**

 **Now, for me, this will be a little tweaked. Tributes will still fight each other, but Capitolites can help (any Capitolite, though there will be four selected hunters). Killing a Capitolite is allowed, but frowned upon. Being killed by a Capitolite is expected.**

 **Pretty much, prepare for insanity.**

 **There will be twenty-four tributes, who are normal. They are unaware of the twist until they get to the training room, so Careers are expected.**

 **Form:**

* * *

 **Name:** If you only have a first name, it'll do. I might fill in the last name if you don't, but they might not get one. I take anything (I would literally accept ABCDEFGHIJK LMNO P) but I do prefer tributes that don't have accent marks over letters. It's annoying to get the accent mark in each POV, and I might remove the accent mark.

 **District:** You can list more than one if you like, in order of priority. That way, if your slot is taken, you still get a District you want

 **Age:** Pretty self-explanatory

 **Appearance:** It can be a blurb or a paragraph, I don't care. There's a decent chance I'll hardly describe them. Fair warning.

 **Personality:** This can also be a sentence or a three-page essay. I'll try to write it well.

 **Backstory:** I ask for a bit of info, but you don't need tons. Two or three sentences would be great, but if you give me less I'll fill it in.

 **Family:** You can say everything about each member, or just names and positions.

 **Reaped/Volunteered:**

 **Reaction/Reason:** "Scared" works, but it's boring. It's more fun to write, "His heart starting racing and sweat appeared on his brow, but he knew he couldn't show it," or something of the likes.

 **Reaping Scene:** Reapings can get boring. If you don't want your tribute's first POV to be a Reaping, send in what you do want here. Note: I mean a daily life scene. If you ask for a train ride, their first scene will be a Reaping.

 **Reaping Outfit:** You don't have to fill this in. If you don't, it's automatically a T-Shirt and jeans.

 **Token:** It's optional, and I might not mention it, but if you don't put it in you almost certainly won't get one, unless I spontaneously feel like making one. (Example: I made Annika's token (from Rising to Victory) her sister's bracelet.)

 **Strengths:** I don't care how many you have, but try not to be too crazy. That thirteen-year-old from 11 is not going to be buff and know how to use every weapon. Also, don't overlook simple things like being small so she can hide.

 **Weaknesses:** You can have many or few, I don't mind. If you do stupid things like "He's too perfect!" I will have him spend so long trying to be perfect that he starves. Other than that, I try not to be too harsh.

 **Weapon of Choice:** This isn't entirely necessary, but it's very useful, especially if your tribute makes it to the top three, when I sometimes start mass-sponsoring for interest purposes. If you don't list one, it will probably be spear or knife.

 **Where they go in the Training Center:** They can go as many places as you want, but the more places they go the less they know about each thing. I don't mind jacks-of-all-trades, they just don't always win.

 **What they show the Gamemakers:** I don't care how detailed or basic this is. "Throwing knives" would work, but so would "(x) throws twelve knives, getting two bulls-eyes, but missing the target entirely once. The Gamemakers 'ooh' and 'ahh.'"

 **Training Score:** I take what's given to me. It doesn't really matter anyways, since you're the sponsors.

 **Capitol Scenes:** No guarantee that it'll get written, but it might. This is just fun things the tributes can do for a nice break from training scenes.

 **Parade Outfit:** Please list some idea. If you need I'll fill it in, but it will probably be stupid and crummy. (Ex: An electric toothbrush)

 **Interview Outfit:** If you don't fill this one in, I will, but it'll be lame. Like a white dress. (I literally used a white dress in Rising to Victory)

 **Interview Angle:** Please be creative. Not everyone is nice and innocent. I'll accept it, but it's way more fun to read someone who tries to be a clown

 **Bloodbath Plan:**

 **Will they die in the Bloodbath?:** Let's face it, some tributes have to die in the Bloodbath. If I don't get enough Bloodbaths, I'll choose some random ones.

 **Games Plan:** Everyone running and hiding makes it boring. I'll take it, but I'll probably pick people off with mutts if that happens.

 **Other:** Are they allergic to bananas? Do they like Persian cats more than sphynxes? Does the color yellow disgust them? This is where you can put random stuff like that. Again, it might not get written, but it might.

 **Preferred Death:** The odds are your tribute won't win. This is pretty much a consolation prize if they don't.

 **Predicted Placement:** It might not matter, but if you expect your tribute to get 13th, they're less likely to win. Also, really high predicted placements on weak tributes annoys me, which probably won't be the death of your tribute, but it could be a factor. (Ex: If LCS said Smudge was going to get first, I wouldn't like Smudge as much.)

 **Allying or No:** If you want them to ally, you'll need to get both parties' permission, unless I partner people up myself. I generally don't, but sometimes it works.

 **Fight or Flight Instinct:** Will they run from confrontation, or face it head on?

* * *

 **Hunters are people who want this and are aware of it. They are Capitolites, so they have virtually unlimited funding. They are also supposed to be safe, but if they attack a tribute the tribute can fight back. Since only four are needed, this might not be first come first serve. I've received two ideas so far, which means I can probably afford to choose the best. Good hunters are necessary for this game to be played properly, so everyone can send as many as they want, and I will filter. If it takes too long for me to get hunters, I will stop waiting (and possibly make my own).**

 **I might find some reward for people whose hunters kill someone, though. Hunters are supposed to get rewarded for kills, so the submitters should get rewarded (it's just hard, since I don't have a sponsor system).**

 **Name:** Pretty self-explanatory. You can get way crazier with these than District names without getting hate, because these people are Capitolites. Feel free to include a name and a show name (For instance, Bubbles Pickle, aka, "Banana Splitter")

 **Age:** This can be anything, but it'll generally probably be 18, since these people aren't actual tributes.

 **Appearance:** This is the really fun part with Hunters: Not only are they Capitolites, they're actually expected to have entirely crazy appearances (ex. Dynamo). So, submitting a tribute with rainbow eyes will get you hate, but for Hunters, go right ahead. Give him eight feet long hair. Make him twelve feet tall (ok don't do that, but my point is made). I will accept just about anything, as long as it is somewhat odd. Please include things like choice clothing here, even though that's not really physical.

 **Personality:** Pretty self-explanatory

 **Show Personality:** Hunters are supposed to be entirely over-the-top, exciting killers. This is what the show personality describes. How will they make sure they're remembered? How will they leave their mark on tributes they don't kill?

 **Backstory:** This doesn't matter much at all, to be honest. I guess it's good to know if they're trained fighters or something, but that's pretty much it. You could leave it blank and I wouldn't mind, but some people like this.

 **Family:** This really doesn't matter. It's just there if you want it.

 **Strengths:** Do they like roller blading? Can they throw cards well? Hunter strengths are pretty different from tribute strengths, because the Capitol will do everything it can to ensure that they don't die outside of a fight.

 **Weaknesses:** Allergic to peanuts? Cries at the sight of water? This is mostly things that would hurt their image, or matter in the midst of a fight. Environmental things aren't important.

 **Weapons:** Do they use banana peels to slow you down? Do they use roller blades with spikes on the side ? This is choice weapon and show weapon.

 **Random Things:** Do they like opera singing? Did they once fall into a sewer? This is random things that could be used to characterize them.

 **Phrase:** This is generally a dumb pun that has to do with their weapon of choice.

 **Do They Die?:** Hunters really aren't supposed to get killed, but that doesn't mean tributes won't kill them in the heat of the moment. This is just if you care whether or not they die.


	2. Tribute List

**,Tile Pale**

Oh wow. A Running Man Games.

Never.

Before.

Seen.

* * *

 **D1M:** Jack Xhaca - Jayman (certainly) - Career

 **D1F:** Tourmaline Addells - Tracelynn (certainly) - Career

 **D2M:** Wolf Krieg - LCS (she submits quickly) - Career

 **D2F:** Valerie Cartwright - IVolunteerAsAuthor (certainly) - Career

 **D3M:** Lumen Hal - ItSaCatWoRlD (certainly) - Allying with Sparrow

 **D3F:** Scorcha Bellamy - later . glader (certainly) - (Allying with Darren Pechay, Ashley, and Sarah)

 **D4M:** Mahi Katao -LadyCordeliaStuart (certainly) - Career

 **D4F:** Halona Remus - Paperairline (certainly) - Career

 **D5M:** Rotor Aeolius Ypsilon- Platrium/Winter's Writing (certainly, I guess) - (Allying with Nacelle, Kenzie, and Jeanie)

 **D5F:** Nacelle "Cell" Hall Aeolius - Platrium/Winter's Writing (certainly, I guess) - (Allying with Rotor, Kenzie, and Jeanie)

 **D6M:** Rodney "Rod" Sanchez - 66samvr (certainly) - Seeking one, older (I'm assuming 16+) ally

 **D6F:** Kenzie O'Donell - Aceswims (certainly) - (Allying with Rotor, Nacelle, and Jeanie)

 **D7M:** Sparrow McKrail - 66samvr (certainly because impatience) - Allying with Lumen (and still everyone)

 **D7F:** Ashely Cavanough Jr. - TheReaper94 (certainly) - Allying with Darren, Scorcha, and Sarah

 **D8M:** Noil Kimball - Tracelynn (2) (Seeking an older, mature ally but expecting none)

 **D8F:** Jeanette "Jeanie" Umbry - District 9 Tribute (certainly) - (Allying with Rotor, Nacelle, and Kenzie)

 **D9M:** Culic Norph - AllysumBellGrove (certainly) - Not seeking allies 'cuz he's too lazy to get one

 **D9F:** Avena Ceres - Red Roses1000 (2) - Not allying unless someone desperately wants it

 **D10M:** Equius Wang - AmericanPi (certainly) - Allying with Nepeta and nobody else

 **D10F:** Nepeta Shepherdson - AmericanPi (certainly) - Allying with Equius and nobody else

 **D11M:** Darren Pechay - Platrium (certainly) - Allying with Scorcha Bellamy, Ashley, and Sarah

 **D11F:** Sarah Lilac -Goldie031 (certainly) - Allying with Scorcha, Ashley, and Darren

 **D12M:** Zeke Danbury -TheReaper94 (2) - Seeking one or two strong allies

 **D12F:** Scorpia Alden - Red Roses1000 (certainly) - Not allying

 **Hunters:**

Vibrant Gellert, AKA "Rainbow Massacre"

Faye Quaritch

Clariselle van Doom (Stage Name: Doom Doom)

Icykill (Icicle)

* * *

 **I have decided to clear some things up.**

 **Hunters are supposed to kill tributes.**

 **Tributes aren't supposed to kill hunters, but they can if needed.**

 **Other Capitolites can help or hinder tributes are their whim and fancy.**

 **Tributes aren't supposed to hurt other Capitolites, but what happens happens.**

 **If you haven't seen Running Man, look up Dynamo. He is what to base hunters off of, and he is insane.**

* * *

 **Another update: I am getting impatient. Send me tributes or I might make my own. That goes for hunters, too.**


	3. Sponsor System and Notes

**Random Capitolite #1**

Oh cool

Running Man

Tributes will have to run

* * *

 **A COUPLE OF IMPORTANT THINGS**

 **1) My stories aren't canon. Someone from Twelve could win (Tarabel almost won my last Games) and twelve or thirteen-year-olds can win. It is less likely, but only because people submit twelve-year-olds when they want weak tributes.**

 **2) How will sponsoring work in this story?**

 **I don't have a sponsor system. I did once; it's annoying and unneeded. Ask me what you want to send, and I will decide whether or not it can be sent. Easy as that. I do like it when people sponsor dumb stuff, I will point out (dumb stuff being nail polish or teddy bears).**

 **I do sponsor tributes I think should get sponsor gifts (sometimes Careers, Capitolite-oriented tributes, etc...), but almost always useless stuff. It won't effect placement. I should point out that in the case of medicine it will work unless I say it won't. Also, I allow some sabotage through sponsor gifts, but not much (ex. You could send poison, but it would be labelled. You couldn't send a set bomb).**

 **3) Placement for me means nothing. You're first or you're... not. If you haven't died, it doesn't mean you're too strong to have died yet. Either I could see you being Victor or your death hasn't been opportune yet.**


	4. District Eleven Reapings

**You thought not being full meant I wouldn't update, didn't you? Joke's on you! I have two full Districts.**

 **But seriously, send me tributes and Hunters. My patience grows thin.**

* * *

 **Sarah Lilac (18) D11F**

"Sylvia, it's time for supper," I called out, wanting my sister to come downstairs. I was ready for supper, but I was more focused on the card game I was about to play with her. I had just learned it from Emily, and I was prepared to completely blow Sylia's mind. She was so impressed with simple things that I knew she would love learning a new game.

My little sister came downstairs, her teddy bear trailing on the ground behind her. "What are we eating?"

"We're having grilled cheese! Come sit at the table with me."

"Do I have to? I'm in the middle of a good book."

"Yes! You do!" I pulled Sylvia over to the table, shuffling my deck of cards a couple of times before dealing us in. "You're going to learn how to play poker. I'm not too great at it yet, but I can teach you the basics."

"Would Mom and Dad let you play poker? Isn't it bad?"

"How do you know about poker? And yes, mom and dad would be fine. They just said to keep you occupied while they were at work, and I can definitely do that. Because I love you, and because you have to do what I say. Now, sit down. We're playing poker."

I dealt each of us five cards, trying to remember all of the rules. "So, you can draw up to three cards, but you have to throw away as many cards as you pick up. You want a pair, three of a kind, straight, flush, full house, which is a pair and a three of a kind, or four of a kind. You know what a straight and flush are, right?"

"Yes! You taught me those in Rummy. What do I want the most?"

"The best thing you can get is a royal flush. That's a straight flush that starts at ten and ends at ace. The lowest thing, other than a high card, is a pair. Did you draw yet?"

"I did, I did."

I had a dilemna. I had a pair, which was good, but I also had three clubs. I knew that throwing away the pair was dumb, but neither of those were clubs. On the off-chance that I got two more clubs, I would probably beat Sylvia, but I could end up with absolutely nothing.

"Go, sister!" Sylvia demanded, shoving me lightly and laughing.

"Okay, okay!" I threw down my pair, deciding to risk the option with lower odds of success. _All or nothing._ The first card I drew was an eight of clubs, and I held my breath while pulling the next. _Black nine. Black nine. Spades or clubs. Clubs!_ "What do you have?"

"Three of a kind. What do you have?"

"Flush! That beats three of a kind."

"Yeah, yeah. Just deal me in again."

* * *

 **Darren Pechay (13) D11M**

 _The Reapings are happening right now. Lots of people are probably excited. All of the readers must be really excited. They can't be certain how any of us would respond if we got Reaped, even though all of them know about us. How would I react if I was Reaped? There's nothing to really do. If I die, I die. Life goes on around me, everybody except myself completely unaffected by the change that took place. My parents might be upset, but they would move on in good time._

"Hello, people. Some of you must be listening to me, right now. There's always someone listening, or I wouldn't be existing at this very moment. How would you react if I died? It's bound to happen sometime, but how would you react if I died at thirteen? How would you react if I died by someone I'd never even meet? Do you know that's going to happen? I wish you would tell me more about my future. You know it, and the curiosity is killing me."

"How are you not shaking in your boots? You could be about to die," some random kid asked me.

"There's nothing to be scared of. Either we die or we don't. Our deaths would happen in good time whether or not we were Reaped. The Reaping only changes how we die, and it might not even change that. Life is a gift that can be torn away at any time, but I'm not worried about it because I don't think anyone wants to take away my life."

"All of the other tributes want to take away your life."

"The other tributes have nothing to do with whether or not I die. It's the writer of this story's choice whether or not I die. The only thing the other tributes can do is what the writer says, so the other tributes don't really scare me. All they are is other beings the author has created."

"Author? You're crazy, dude."

"Author. If I'm crazy, it's simply because the author has made me that way. I don't blame the author if I am insane; I only blame him or her if she or he writes me badly. So far, the author has done a great job. I've had a good life, and it hasn't stopped yet."

"Our male tribute is Darren Pechay," the escort called out, her voice ringing out clearly across the town square.

"Now the author has decided that it's time for me to go into the Games. I walk up to the stage calmly, because my actions right now won't effect the future. A stoic grin appears across my face. I look ahead, completely determined to do the crowd well. They will be happy with my performance, because it is exciting. That's all they want."


	5. District Three Reapings

**Lumen Hal (17) D3M**

"Jarvis! Get over here. We need to put all of these together, and this is not a task for one person!" I called out to my brother. I hated to admit that there was too much work, but at least I had a fall-back. There really was too much work for one person. Hundreds of parts were rolling past me on a conveyor belt, and I was supposed to put them together before they got ahead of me.

"On it! Let me throw this together real quick... Here I come!" Jarvis yelled back. Normally yelling like that wouldn't be permitted in the factory, but there were fewer workers than normal, so people weren't as likely to get mad. For once, fewer helpers was good.

"All right! ASAP!" I was putting together parts as I spoke, barely hearing what was being said to me. I was so concentrated on weaving together the wires perfectly that I couldn't afford to really listen to what my brother said.

"ASAP it is!" My brother was by my side by the time that he finished saying that, and he immediately picked up some parts. "This is a lot of work! What do they think we are, superheros?"

"Well, we're going to have to be. Wouldn't want to ge fired, now would we?" Our family could probably last a while if one of us lost our job, but it wouldn't be pretty.

"They can't fire us! We're, like, fifty percent of the work force."

"Less than that," was all I said in reply. I had finished my first piece of art, and I was moving on to the next. Each object had twelve parts to piece together, and the objects came by at about two per second. With Jarvis working by my side, it wouldn't be too difficult. Still, I wanted to work quickly. Jarvis was already part-way done with his second, and I was just starting.

I watched Jarvis's hands for a second, trying to figure out exactly how he was doing this so quickly. I tried to memorize the motions, doing them myself. I couldn't get them quite right, but I finessed the things I didn't do well, like moving to the left rather than the right to readjust.

"Whoa, boy! Slow down," Jarvis said, noticing that I was moving to my fourth. "You don't need to go quite that fast." I looked up and saw that he was right. He was on his fourth, too, though I was farther along in mine. We were getting ahead of the conveyor belt, little by little. We were making progress.

* * *

 **Scorcha Bellamy (14) D3F**

Reaping day was a yearly experience. It was something I was slowing growing used to, although I hadn't had to deal with it very often. It didn't take long, I guess, for sudden terror shooting through you to become the norm. Although, sudden terror happened to everyone at one point or another, whether or not they ever went to the Reapings, and whether or not they went Reaped.

Different people people had different ways to cope with certain death looming over their heads. My way was what I, along with most of Three, used to cope with just about everything: numbers. There were 195,329 people in Three. We were one of the larger Districts, so my odds of getting Reaped were lower than those of the average person, even if I calculated in One, Two, and Four. Only 46,738 of us were of Reaping age. That calculated to roughly 190,552 slips, assuming most people had around four slips. Three of those slips were me, giving me a 1 in 63517.3 repeating chance of getting Reaped. That was nothing to be worried about.

"You know, I did all of the math. There's only a one in hundred thousand chance of any of us getting Reaped," a kid next to me announced proudly. Her friends "oohed" and "ahhed," but I just rolled my eyes.

"Oh, what is it?" Statey asked me.

"Hm? Oh, it's just that I've done the math as well. Now, I did some basic assumptions, but assumptions are bound to be made, and assumptions of my level wouldn't mess up the stats this much. It's closer to sixty thousand, though I do know the exact number, down to the decimal," I replied. I hadn't meant to sound quite that snobby, but a little snobbiness never hurt anyone.

"Did you calculate for tesserae?" Flash asked me, glaring.

"Well, it's impossible to calculate for exact tesserae, seeing as different people take out different amounts. However, I would say that my calculations should be within ten thousand, and I strongly doubt more than thiry thousand tesserae are taken. Furthermore, let's not forget that there are more children below fifteen, which I calculated the average for, than above fifteen, meaning that more kids with tesserae makes my calculations even closer. To a point, of course," I replied, feeling a triumphant grin coming across my face. "We have almost nothing to be scared of."

"Our female tribute this year is Scorcha Bellamy!" Lazuli called out clearly. Flash cocked one eyebrow.

"Nothing to be worried about, eh?" she asked me.

"There's still a one in twenty-four chance of me winning, lowered due to Careers but made greater due to my health compared to the average Twelve, Eleven, or Ten kid. I actually have a perfectly even chance."


	6. District Four Reapings

**Mahi Katao (18) D4M**

Training was difficult. It could also be fun. Now, hard and fun can seem like things that are very far apart, but nothing is too far away from fun for fun to be achievable. People had made the strangest things, like mountain climbing and hunting, fun, so I could make training fun. All training really had to be was some sort of repetitive motion that put some strain on your body, which could be done in hundreds of ways. I was just using one of my favorites.

One of my best friends, Bream, needed to work on his speed, as well as learning how to take down larger competitors. I had to figure out how to take on people who were quicker than I was, as well as having a bit more precision with my hits. In the end, we were the perfect partners for each other. My decision was entirely unaffected by the fact that I wanted an excuse to try and wrestle during the time that was supposed to be training.

Bream walked out of the Academy, leading me outside with him. More likely than not, we would have an outside Arena if we volunteered. It only made sense that we learned how to use our surroundings. Once we were outside, Bream started sizing me up, seemingly trying to figure out my plan. That was going to be very difficult for him, as I didn't have a plan.

Running at me, Bream tried to tackle me to the ground. That didn't work very well. I was about twice his size. He bounced off of me harmlessly, and I grabbed onto him, pulling him to the ground. He easily squirmed out from underneath me, which made sense. He knew how to squirm better than I knew how to grasp. I was down at that point, so it was easy work for Bream to get on top of me.

I rolled over. Bream thought he had won, being on top of me, but the kid weighed about ten pounds. I could chuck him across the District with one hand. So I rolled over, landing on top of him. He somehow magically rolled with my roll, and we just kept rolling. It didn't take long for me to break my poker face, laughing while finally forcing Bream underneath me. He broke face then, too, and socked me in the arm. I just kept laughing.

* * *

 **Halona Remus (17) D4F**

Four seemed to be one of the best Districts. I suspected that most people thought that way about their District, but for me, it was true. Four was a nice, warm District, we could be self-sufficient if we ever needed it, and, most importantly, we had beaches. We didn't just have basic beaches, with little shorelines strectching near ice cold water. Our beaches were huge, warm, and entirely gorgeous. And I knew how to take advantage of that.

In Four, being tan is a little bit expected. You're not entirely an outcast, but if you don't have a burn or a tan, you probably don't have a life to be cast out from, anyways. Some of us spent all of our time training, day in and day out, but lots of the Academy kids still found time to get out in the sun. I usually didn't, but for the first time in forever, I had finally convinced my mom that working out seven days a week was actually harmful, and I needed a day off. I just so happened to be spending my day finally achieving a nice tan.

Candiru was with me, laying in the sun and trying to do the same thing I was. She was already gorgeous; her skin had a near perfect tan, her eyes were blue, and she had blonde hair. Her hair was wavy, and it fell to her shoulders perfectly. She was out with me partially as a charity act, because her popularity rubbed off on me, and partially to keep up the tan she had worked so hard to achieve. She and I were giggling and talking, and I kept ruining my chances at a tan by shifting. Sitting still like that got worrisome after a while.

"It's time to come in, Halona," my mother said. I jumped when I heard her speaking. She had managed to get all the way across the beach and sneak up right behind me without me noticing at all.

"Mom, it's therapy. My muscles need a little bit of a cool-down, and if I have a tan, and we're in a desert, I'll be able to handle the heat better."

"No. I did some research. This doesn't matter at all. You're just being a lazy little fatty, like you've always wanted to be."

"What did you look at? Anorexia 101?" Candiru asked, shifting to look at my mom more directly. I didn't say a word. I knew I did have a bit of a belly, so I wasn't going to defend myself. Candiru thought I was just quiet out of respect, but I was quiet because my mom's words stung. Mom's were supposed to help their daughters out, not shove them into the dirt.

"Maybe Halona could learn something about anorexia. Nothing at all is better than excess. The only thing that could redeem a failure is the Games, which Halona won't win. The least she could do to stop bringing me shame is train." _And so it continues._


	7. District Seven Reapings (haha Chapter 7)

**Sparrow McKrail (16) D7M**

I stood outside Savannah's door, knocking repeatedly. I didn't mind waiting for her to come outside, but she never made me wait before. I didn't know why she randomly took longer than she normally did, but it was most upsetting. I had to consider all possibilites, like the chance that her father was hurting her, or the chance that she didn't love me anymore. I had no evidence to show that her father was hurting her; he was a great guy, and he wouldn't hurt a fly. It was just a possibility I chose to consider.

Finally, Savannah walked outside. "Sorry it took me so long, I couldn't find my boots." _Oh. It was just boots._ That was a lot better than most of the thoughts that had been running through my mind.

"It's no problem! I was just worried you had fallen, or something," I lied. I didn't want to seem pessimistic and risk having Savannah think I was a negative influence on her life.

"Nope! Perfectly fine. You ready for our walk?" I nodded. We had been planning a nature walk for days. Both of us loved the woods on the edge of the District, but we had to find a day when neither of us worked.

"It really is lovely today," I said as we walked through the woods. I was trying not to think about the Reapings coming up in a week, or the sun that was already almost at its peak. I didn't want to think about how soon we would have to head back. "Almost as lovely as you are."

"Oh, stop it, you," Savannah said, blushing and slapping me playfully. "You're supposed to be looking at the outside world."

"The outside world can't compare to you, my love," I said overdramatically, kneeling down and kissing my girlfriend's hand. "Besides, we're probably going to spend forever together, right? I need to make sure I constantly show you your true value."

"Well, probably. I can't promise anything." I knew that Savannah truly meant probably. She was just a very cautious young lady.

"Probably is better than no! The woods would be the perfect place to stomp someone's heart, you know. But you would never do that to me."

"Of course not, Sparrow. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me." I smiled when Savannah said that. I was pleased beyond words. It wasn't often that I got to be a great thing for someone.

* * *

 **Ashley Cavanough Jr. (17) D7F**

"Oh em gee Lydia, this video is so boring," I whispered to my best friend as the propaganda video began to play. "It's the same thing every year!"

"Ugh, I know," Lydia whispered back to me. Technically, we weren't supposed to be talking, but neither of us cared. Nobody cared, really. Murmers could be heard from all the sections, male and female. The only bad thing about talking was when the few freaks who didn't talk stared at you like you were insane.

"Do you wanna shut up?" Noli hissed, turning to us. I glared at her.

"Surprisingly, I don't," I said. I dropped the whisper entirely. There was no point in keeping up a whisper when being told to stop talking. I was just going to talk all the more.

"Come on. You could get reported to the Peacekeepers over this!" Noli continued.

"Couldn't you, too? I mean, you're talking to me just as much as I'm talking to you," I said. Lydia stared at me in amazement. Nobody sassed Noli, the cool kid of the District. She could ruin someone's life with three sentences. I just wasn't about to care about that. Rudeness was rudeness, and it deserved a harsh response.

"Yeah, but you started it. All I did was try and fix everything," Noli said, crossing her arms.

"You were kinda sorta ridiculously rude about it, though. The Peacekeepers know I'm going to reply when spoken to. Were my whispers disturbing you? Were you so unfocused on the video that you could hear what I was saying to Lydia, even though she could barely hear me?"

"Please be quiet," Willow broke in. She looked honestly worried, and I noticed that I was getting a lot of attention.

"I guess, but only for you," I told Willow. I didn't mind her as much as I minded Noli.

"I'm still getting you in trouble," Noli whispered to me.

"Good luck," I spat back.

"Our female tribute is Ashley Cavanough!" Winnifred called out. I was pretty surprised that it was me, and the natural fear that any tribute felt came to me, but I tried to focus on my annoyance rather than my fear. I marched up to the stage, only one clear thought in my mind: _I guess you're not getting me in trouble._

* * *

 **SHOUT-OUT TIME! I might start doing this regularly, but I don't have much of a plan yet. Anyway, all y'all should head over to Red Roses1000's Games and submit. I have skin in the Game (haha) and I want her to hurry up and be able to write.**

 **Also, I'm switching this to being marked as regular. It really is more Hunger Games than Running Man, and odd switches happen all the time. Plus, I want more people to see this.**


	8. District Eight Reapings

**Noil Kimball (16) D8M**

I wasn't looking forward to the Reaping. Nobody ever did, but I wasn't looking forward to it for a different reason than most people. I didn't want to have to deal with the walk to the town square from the family factory, where I had been working. I knew Woolla was bound to walk with me, and things never went well when she was around. It could have been me that was messing things up, but then I messed things up a lot more when she was around.

"So, do you think you'll inherit the factory?" Woolla asked me, leaning forward. She was still walking while she leaned, which worried me. She wasn't looking where she was gonig. She could easily trip, or run into someone.

"Probably. Dad's been training me, and all," I replied, trying not to seem as upset as I was about my sister's stance. She was being so dangerous.

"Too bad! You're probably too clumsy. I think I'm gonna get it. Mom's been training me, ya know. Besides, I'd be a great owner!"

"I know that! She doesn't bother hiding it," I said, laughing nervously. In a second, Woolla was going to start teasing me. She did it every year, and every year I couldn't argue, because every year she was right.

"I'm not clumsy at all. You'd probably start a fire, or something. Or get caught in one of the machines, and die. I'd be over here, completely ready to take over and revive you."

"You can't revive me once I'm dead," I pointed out. For some reason, I really wanted to correct Woolla. That was the only point I could think to correct her on, though. I probably would start a fire. Maybe I would even burn the entire District down. Getting Reaped didn't seem so bad compared to killing everyone.

"Well, I'm off! Girls and boys can't be together during the Reaping, you know," Woolla said as she walked away.

"All right," I said, offering my hand to the Peacekeeper. I didn't like getting my finger pricked. Sure, the needle was disinfected between each prick. It was probably fancy Capitolite disinfectant, too. The Capitol couldn't have one of the tributes getting killed by the needle before the Games started. All the same, I didn't like it. I could get hepatitis, or something. I could die, all from a dumb needle. I didn't want to die by something that dumb.

* * *

 **Jeanette "Jeanie* Umbry (13) D8F**

I locked the door to my room when I went inside it. My mom and dad never bothered me when I was inside my room; they understood that thirteen-year-old girls need their private time now and then. My main problem was Lylia, who would come into the room if I didn't lock it. I also liked the noise the lock made when it shifted into place, which was the lie I would tell Lylia if she asked me why my door was locked.

My parents were right when they thought I needed private time. Private time is thinking time, and I needed all of that I could get. If I could think I could write, and if I could write I could get my family a bit richer. My family was already decently well-off, but I knew how quickly well-off could change to the poorhouse. It happened all the time in Eight, and I didn't want it happening again.

Lylia often read my works. I knew what my plot was going to be, but she encouraged me not to start with writing a book immediately. She told me to work on developing themes, which I could do, and developing characters, which I could do. I just needed practice in order to do them well, rather than just doing them. My main problem was finding a character to write, but I could just use myself until I found a better character.

 _Walking through the woods_

 _I find a small deer_

 _It jumps up to its hooves_

 _While I slowly come near_

 _Creeping ever closer_

 _I find out it's a doe_

 _It seems to be quite wary_

 _Why of me, I'm unsure, though_

 _Finally it runs_

 _I reach out but do not cry_

 _My family instructed me_

 _I often too hard try_

That was my beginning. It was just a poem, which I was quite proud of, but I was only practicing. I wasn't going to show it to anyone just yet. I was trying to portray thoughts of innocence, using the deer. Which was pretty cheesy, but I was no professional quite yet. I didn't know exactly how innocent I was, but I considered myself more of an innocent person than a murderer, and I needed an easy theme for the time being. I had all the time in the world to work up to harder ones.


	9. District Nine Reapings

**Avena Ceres (15) D9F**

I got up and made breakfast. I almost always made breakfast; dad was a night shift worker, so he didn't get to us until partway through breakfast, and mom was just tired from normal work. I also didn't want to have to thank my mother for making me breakfast, but I rarely pointed that out. My main focus was not waking anyone up while still being able to have three meals a day, which required me to make breakfast.

My mom woke up while I was still frying some eggs. As a rather well-off District Nine citizen, I had eggs almost every day for breakfast. My dad said something about eggs being brain food, but I just liked the taste. I burnt one of the eggs while Mom was watching, and I slid it onto a plate with a different burnt one. I didn't burn either on purpose, but I did put the burnt ones together and give the plate to Mom deliberately. Then I made my eggs and Dad's eggs, giving him the plate with the best eggs. I knew he would notice that, but I would have done it whether or not he pointed them out.

"Honey, I'm home!" my dad called out as he walked through the door. We would have heard the door slam whether or not he yelled it, but my mom lit up when he said it, so he said it every single day.

"Oh, honey! Welcome back! Avena made us eggs," Mom said, after giving Dad a kiss.

"And how's my little girl?" Dad asked, dropping his coat to pick me up in a hug. For most people I would have pointed out that I wasn't exactly little, but Dad could get away with it.

"Great! I've been dying to have you sit down, though. These eggs aren't going to eat themselves!" I said, smiling almost as brightly as my father.

"Oh, these are some nice eggs! You always make the best," Dad said, sitting down at the table. He immediately struck up conversation with Mom, who looked at me worryingly while I glared at her. I didn't say anything, though, which was more than she deserved.

 _How can Mom look him in the eye?_ I asked myself that question every day when Dad sat down for breakfast. Dad always noticed that Mom got the burnt eggs, but he never questioned it. Mom had it figured out. I knew everything that was wrong with her that Dad might never know. I knew that she wasn't worth the husband she had. I knew that she couldn't be loyal to one man, much less a family. Still, I never spoke up with my words. I spoke up through friggin' eggs, and hateful glares, much like the one I was casting my mother. She knew I was glaring at her. That was why she sat in such a way that Dad couldn't see me while talking to her. She knew I hated her. She just didn't care.

* * *

 **Culic Norph (17) D9M**

If anyone deserved a chance to move Districts, it was me. I didn't want to live in the Capitol. I wanted to live in One. Really, I didn't just want it - I needed it. I belonged in One just as much as any of the kids who were born in One. They had their lives handed to them on a silver platter, just like mine should have been even more than it was. Everything was easy for them, and they got to train for the Hunger Games. How cool was that? As awesome as the Games sounded to me, I never got to train. It was "illegal" and "rude" and "I shouldn't throw things at the neighbor's cat." That didn't mean I wasn't going to live a life of glory, though.

"Hey there, hotties," I said, turning to a group of fine specimens of the female form. "How about after this you and I go to my place? We can have a romantic dinner, then head to my room..." I trailed off there. The point was well made.

"Back off, you friggin' cad!" one of the girls yelled at me. She hit me with her purse, and her friends laughed.

"Fiesty. Just how I like 'em," I continued, grabbing the girl's arm. "You wouldn't really be meaning to reject me?"

"Let me go. I'll scream." Normally I would have continued beyond that point, because normally they wouldn't really scream. For some reason, though, I thought this girl was serious.

"I suppose. I have to go check in for the Reapings, anyway. Wouldn't want to miss seeing that happen. Who knows. Maybe you'll get Reaped, and I'll have to be your knight in shining armor. It would really work, with how strong I am compared to how... _you_ you are." I walked off, my head still held high. I was _not_ embarrassed. I was leaving because the law required it.

Slowly, I made my way to the town square. Upon arriving, I got my finger pricked, hissing profanities at the Peacekeeper. She had no business putting someone of my esteem through that much pain. I would have honestly said my name, had she politely asked. She didn't, though, opting to stab me. _Rude._

I found my stall and waited. It was an awfully long wait. There was a whole video to watch, which we saw every year. I thought they could have switched to every other year; everyone would still probably see it. All the same, I watched it, huffing while it slowly rambled on about the Capitol. It was right, of course, but it was boring. I perked up a bit when our escort walked onto the stage.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, let's pick the lucky man who will represent our District! Our male tribute is... Grain Rye!"

The Grain kid slowly walked up to the stage, crying as he emerged from the twelve-year-old section. _You know what? Screw it._ "I volunteer!" I yelled, as loudly as I could. Not being from One didn't mean I couldn't win the Games.


	10. District Ten Reapings

**Ayo! I did write a chapter yesterday. I think all y'all saw it, but better safe than sorry.**

 **ALSO TO THE RANDOM DUDE WHO SAID I SHOULDN'T HAVE AN OC FORM FOR MY FIRST CHAPTER**

 **Will you review the rest of my story? I'm curious as to your input. Also, how often do people actually donate to you? AND WHICH BOOK DID YOU WRITE?**

* * *

 **Nepeda Shepherdson (13) D10F**

Some children went into the store to buy food. Some people killed pet chickens. I killed wild squirrels. My mother trained me in how to do that, and I was getting better, though it was still difficult. That was why I focused in squirrels, while my mother had a range extending to rabbits and, when she was lucky, deer, though she did generally use sticks and only go after young or injured deer. Still, that was impressive, and I hoped to one day be as good as she was.

I was following a piece of prey while thinking about all that. It hadn't spotted me just yet, but it would any time. I was following it around in a tree, a couple of feet higher than it was. _Not anymore._ I jumped down to the branch the squirrel was on, which was only a few feet above the ground. The branch swayed under my sudden weight, knocking off the squirrel and me. I landed on my feet, having prepared, but the squirrel wasn't quite so ready.

Dazed, the squirrel stayed down for a couple of seconds after it landed. That was all I needed. I grabbed onto the limp creature, holding it by its hind legs, then slammed it into the tree it had just fallen out of with all of my might. I heard a satisfying crunch, signalling that I had broken some of the squirrel's bones, and then I brought it down again on my knee. It was a lot of effort, but it was also a good amount of food.

Finally, I got to head home. I headed on over to my cave, tearing open the squirrel. It had blood in it, and I needed some red paint. I started drawing a picture on the cave wall. I didn't feel too inspired, but red paint only lasted for so long. I started to draw a picture of all my friends, but I was interruped when the showed up.

"Hey, Nepeta! How's it hanging?" Megan asked me. I didn't reply, instead standing up and hugging her.

"You ready for our date?" Tauros asked me. I nodded. "Ok. Nose-goes!"

I put my finger on my nose immediately, laughing when Equius was the last one to do so. That meant he was it while we played freeze-tag. I ran off, faster than Equius despite being tired. He just didn't know how to run properly, and I took advantage of that. It was going to be a long game, since we had a whole forest to run through, but I could live with that.

* * *

 **Equius Wang (14) D10M**

Reaping day seemed to stink for everyone. The tributes, because they got Reaped, the workers, because their paycheck was smaller, the schoolkids, because they missed part of the day, and the escort, because she had to deal with one of the poorest Districts. It stank for me because I could be Reaped, but also because I didn't like needles. That made getting my blood drawn quite the interesting experience, and I swore under my breath while it happened.

Then I had to move into my pen. I was surrounded by filthy poor kids, exactly the type of children I was taught to loathe. I didn't hate them, despite my parents' best efforts, but I didn't particularly like them, either. I also didn't like that my tux stuck out like a sore thumb surrounded by all of the rags everyone else wore. I wore the tux because my parents wanted me to, not because I liked it. I was so focused on that, and on not yelling at everyone for touching me, that I didn't notice the video. I noticed when the escort walked onto the stage, though.

Sassafrass was dressed as a cow. It was a sexy cow, being from the Capitol, but it was a cow all the same. I actually laughed when I saw that. Even a Capitolite should have known that Ten was not entirely cows. We produced crops as well as meat. Sassafrass probably just didn't care.

"All right! Let's see who our male tribute is this year! The lucky boy is... Equius Wang!" Sassafrass called out.

I walked onto the stage, glaring at everyone. _Oh, screw this._ Of course I got Reaped. I was fourteen, and I just wanted to go home. My finger was sore, and I was done. The escort tried to get some words out of me, but I just kicked at a rock on the stage. It flew off, and I glared even more.

"Fine. Our female tribute is... Nepeta Shepherdson!" our escort said. She was glaring at me, but she quickly got distracted.

"Oooh, NOOOO!" The shout spooked even me. Nepeta was trying to run out of the town square, and Peacekeepers were swarming her. I could see her biting and scratching, and, much to my surprise, I actually saw a bit of blood on her fingers. I saw one of the Peacekeepers pull out a stun gun and knew it was over. I facepalmed, amazed that my friend was that dumb. She actually thought she had a chance at escaping. Nobody escaped the Capitol.


	11. District One Reapings

**You thought I wouldn't bother updating on Thanksgiving, didn't you? You thought wrong!**

* * *

 **Jack Xhaca (18) D1M**

The night before the Reaping was terrible to most Districts, but three of them celebrated it. I was lucky enough to be born in one of the Districts where it could be celebrated, and where I could live without the worry of being Reaped. Of course, that boon was more or less taken away from me when I was the chosen volunteer, but I didn't mind that. I wasn't worried about the actual act of volunteering, and I could worry about the Games when they were closer. I just wanted to have a good time until then.

As chosen volunteer, I was quite the celebrity at the pre-Reaping party I attended. The party I went to was packed just because I went there, which was pretty cool. Had Tourmaline been bothered to go to a party, her party would have been swarmed as well, but she didn't, making my party extra swarmed. Almost everyone in the District sixteen or older was there, which was good. Twelve-year-olds would have ruined the mood.

"Jack?" Zach said, moving over to me. My younger brother was allowed to attend the party, despite only being fifteen, because he was my brother. He wasn't getting much attention, though, and he seemed almost lost in the party.

"Right here!" I yelled, moving to Zach. "Whatchu need? Can't handle a party?" I asked, leaning down to him.

"Gosh! Where'd you go? You can't just leave me tonight, right before you leave for like a week," Zach yelled at me, grabbing my hand. I assumed he was only yelling to be heard over the music, but his grabbing my hand surprised me. Usually we were friendly toward each other, but we never showed it with intimacy.

"Jack! Where'd you go?" Jewel asked, finding her way over to my brother. "Is this Zach?"

I nodded, still staring at Zach. "Zach, this is Jewel! She's my girl. Wanna find one of your own, and we can dance together?" Zach got exposure for being my brother, so I knew he would find a partner soon enough. Zach nodded, walking off to find himself a date. I turned to Jewel.

"Come on!" Jewel yelled, trying to drag me to an area nearer the dancefloor. I resisted, sticking near where my brother was.

"We can dance here!" I yelled, pulling Jewel close to me. Sure, I wanted to dance with my girlfriend, but I couldn't leave Zach to fend for himself. Jewel looked offended, so I pulled her in for a kiss. She shrugged and leaned into it, and we sat there, locked in each other's arms, swaying to the music.

* * *

 **Tourmaline Addels (18) D1F**

While I was walking to my photoshoot, I did my hair one last time. I couldn't do very much to it with how little time my walk took, and it wouldn't really matter in the end, since it would be styled for me, but it was just something I needed to do. I couldn't walk into the photoshoot prep room looking terrible. Models never looked terrible. I could only walk in looking like I could use a little bit of a touch-up, which was all I could ever need.

Infinitee, one of my best Capitol friends, met me at the photoshoot area. She was already getting prepped, and I called my stylist over and sat down beside her. "So, did you hear about Diamond and Sapphire? I heard they had the hardest breakup in years!" I said.

"What? No. Tell me all the details!" Infinitee said, leaning toward me.

"Oh! Well, after a party, Ruby told me that Emerald heard that Diamond accused Sapphire of cheating on him. Sapphire keeps denying it, of course, but Emerald says she saw her hanging out with a lot of other men. So, Diamond cut the ties, Sapphire is crushed, and we're not sure she'll ever find another boyfriend here in One. Her best chance would be getting invited to the Capitol, which is pretty unlikely."

"No! I can't believe it. They were such a cute couple! Does Diamond have a new girlfriend yet?"

"No! He's still crying over her. It seems like he actually really liked her, which is more than a lot of men can say. It's pretty crazy."

"Talking about crazy, how are you and Vibrant doing?" Infinitee asked me, leaning in closer. "I hear he's been having quite the time in the Capitol."

"We don't talk anymore," I said, my voice icy. I was already done with where the conversation was going, and Infinitee had only asked one question. I got up and stalked off, ready for my photoshoot.

 _Screw that._ Although Vibrant had broken up with me, a breakup even more shattering than Diamond's, apparently Infinitee hadn't heard of it. Everyone else in the District had. I fought to keep up a smile, striking pose after pose for the cameras. The cameras saw a bright and happy girl, one of the stars of the District. I tried not to think of all the nasty glares I had gotten, and I tried not to hate Vibrant, even though I knew I did.

The cameramen never noticed that I was upset. I didn't let them know I was upset when I caught Vibrant cheating on me, and I kept that smile plastered across my face when he turned the story around. I smiled for the cameras when I was an outcast to everyone except my coworkers, and I smiled even brighter when even the trainers started to hate me. Everyone in the District could hate me if they wanted to. They were just bound to hate the next Victor.


	12. District Six Reapings

**There probably won't be an update tomorrow, because I won't be home. That doesn't stop me from updating today.**

* * *

 **Rodney "Rod" Sanchez (18) D6M**

I walked around the clinic, seemingly aimlessly, trying to find someone to help out. I was supposed to have people assigned to me to help, but all of my mentees were doing one of the clinic's activities, which was understandable. I wanted them all to be happy, but I also wanted something to do. There was no point in being at the clinic if there was nobody for me to help.

"Hey, dude. Got any morphling?" I heard a voice asking me. I had heard that voice many times, before I went to the clinic and after. I had heard that tone of desperation, that worry that you would never be free from life's difficulties again. I had been there myself.

"Bro, this is a rehab center. I don't think anyone has morphling here," I replied, turning to see who I was talking to. He must have been a new patient, since I didn't recognize him or his nametag at all.

"Are you sure? I here that all of the workers have a little stash, just in case someone really needs it."

"No. We one-hundred percent do not have morphling here. That would ruin the point of the rehab center. Now, why do you want morphling so bad?" Learning someone's backstory could be how you saved a life.

"Because, man, I haven't had any in days."

"I could assume that much. I meant to ask what made you start in the first place."

"Oh. Someone offered it. I figured one high couldn't be that bad and it escalated. Happens to everyone. I was just dumb enough to get caught."

Little by little, I was leading the boy over to the dining area. Once there, we could sit down and actually talk normally. "I'd say lucky enough. Morphling is a hard habit to break if you don't have rehab."

"It's not a habit! It's part of me. Aren't we supposed to be accepting?"

"It's a habit."

"Well, how would you know? Maybe I'm actually becoming morphling. Maybe you're slowly killing me!" The boy's voice was rising to a shriek. Nobody batted an eye. That sort of thing happened all the time.

"I know how morphling feels. Don't you know that a lot of us used to be hooked? As you said, morphling happens to everyone. Let me guess. Something bad happened at home. Brother died?" A nod. "You took one high, assuming it wouldn't stick but desperate for a little bit of a break. Then you took another. Then another. The price started rising, but you didn't care, as long as you got free. Slowly, you completely lost control of your life. You needed each high more than the last. You felt like you'd die if you spent more than one day without one. Your mother caught you stashing drugs, sent you off to rehab, and now you're trying to beg drugs off of the people paid to keep them from you."

"How the heck did you know that?"

I tried to keep the hurt out of my eyes as I said, "Like you said. It happens to everyone."

* * *

 **Kenzie O'Donell (14) D6F**  
Finally. Finally, I was getting to meet up with my comic book group. I had been waiting for long weeks for a day when everything worked out, and finally we all had school off, and we didn't have plans. I was super hyped. I could hardly contain myself during the short school day, and I kept getting weird looks. I didn't mind that, though. I was too busy being excited about what was coming.

I ran home from school to pick out my outfit. I had a Captain Panem suit all made up for days like this. He represented the justice and strength that Panem had, which was cool, but he was also the best superhero. He was kind and nice and helpful, unlike District Man, who used supplies from all the Districts like a commie and then helped only when it helped himself. I grabbed my Captain Panem costume, which only included a striped shirt, blue pants, a helmet, and a shield with Panem's insignia, and ran to the restaurant where we were supposed to meet.

One by one, the other kids filed in. First came Romeo, dressed as Pulk, who represented only the sheer strength of Panem. Then came Bianca, dressed as Black Warrior, who came to Panem during the Dark Days, because even then we were better than other countries. Next was Theo, dressed as Snow Eye. He had really good vision, like a hawk, and he could take down enemies from a long way away. Next was Mazda, dressed as Phor, who was one of the Dark Day gods. He was pretty strong, but not as strong as Snow Eye. Skoda ran in after him, dressed as Red Wizard. She had experiments done on her by a different country, which made her super strong and cool. Suzu came in after her, dressed as Bee Boy, a dude who used Capitolite technology to be as small as a bee when necessary.

"Oh my gosh! The whole gang's here. What's up?" I asked, dropping the stoic attitude Captain Panem was supposed to have.

"Not too much. We have about an hour before we have to go. What should we do?"

"I think we should exchange comics," Bianca said. "I brought all of mine. We all have ones that nobody else has, right?"

I nodded, pulling out the few comics I brought along. We wanted to get as much superhero knowledge as we could, but none of us could really afford a lot of comics.

"Who wants Captain Panem?"

"Is that really all you have, Kenzie?" Theo asked me.

"No! I have one Pulk. Your favorite," I said, shoving my Pulk comic book toward him.

We continued exchanging comic books and talking like that for an hour, when suddenly Theo popped up.

"Reaping time!" he said, and everyone filed out of the restaurant.

 _Well crud._ Suddenly, my day was ruined. I sprinted over to the Town Square, which wasn't far away, and went to get checked in.

"Who's this?" the Peacekeeper that was pricking my finger asked.

"Kenzie O'Donell. Can't you tell by my blood?"

"I meant your costume."

 _Whoops._


	13. District Twelve Reapings

**This is my last full District (my last submitted tributes, really), so until more people get in I'm not going to update again. Bleh.**

* * *

 **Scorpia Alden (17) D12F**

School was getting harder every year. That made sense, because we were supposed to get smarter every year, but that still didn't make it fun. I wanted to keep up my grades, but it just kept getting harder. One of these days I was going to fail my finals, or get a D, and then everything I had ever done would be for nothing, because colleges cared more about failures than successes, and my family only needed a mouth to feed if I fed everyone. I could go to school because my mother did well at her work, but that was pointless if I was just a sap.

Still, against my teacher's best efforts, I had gotten an A on my test. It wasn't the final, but it was an important test, so I was happy. The mores A's I got, the less one F would matter, even if it was only crushing me like half a ton of bricks instead of a ton of bricks. I ran home, my test in my hand, and hugged my mom. She kissed my forehead, and I ran into my dad's room.

"Dad! Dad! I got the best grade in the class on the test. I got a 98! I only got one question wrong, even though it was, like, the hardest test yet. Isn't that great?" I said, practically jumping up and down. Usually I wasn't that hyper, but usually I wasn't talking to my dad.

My dad laid there on his bed, motionless. I walked over to him and handed the test, more calm now. "Dad, that's a good grade. I thought you would be happy if I did so well. I thought maybe you could actually get up today, Dad. Because I did so well. Maybe we could go into town and celebrate."

Nothing. I got no response for that, which was always the case. I thought maybe my dad would finally be happy again if I kept getting A's, if he realized that his little girl had the potential to be something great, despite being from Twelve. He never did get happier, and neither did I. "It's all right, Dad. I get it. I'll get a hundred on my finals for you. Maybe then we can go and celebrate."

I couldn't stop some tears from flowing from eyes when I got up, taking the test from my father's hand. My mother came in from the other room and hugged me, and I hugged her back, resting my head on her shoulder. When we pulled away, I said, "It's ok. I'll just keep getting A's, and one of these days he'll get up. He has to get up sometime."

My mother didn't seem to agree, but she didn't say anything. She just looked at me sadly, pity showing clearly in her eyes. I turned to my father, not interested in Mom's pity.

"You're gonna get better, Dad. I'm going to make you."

* * *

 **Zeke Danbury (15) D12M**

I didn't mind the Reapings, much unlike most other people. I knew my chances of getting Reaped were slim to none, and I knew that for at least one hour of the day I would be free from my obnoxious father. It would have been longer if he hadn't insisted on walking me to the Town Square, but I was grateful for what I had. Better an hour than a minute, after all.

"So anyways, my boss is being a jerk. He says that I'm always obnoxious, and I need to use more caution when mining. Well, I use plenty of caution! I don't get what's wrong with that guy," my dad said to me, almost trembling with anger.

"Oh no! He sounds terrible," I replied, hardly listening. I didn't care about my father's job. If he lost it, I would just live on the streets, which was no big deal.

"You're not even listening! I could lose my job. You know that I'm our only paycheck, right? That wench that was your mother is gone. She's not going to feed you if I die, and she's not going to protect you if you tick me off. I'm the only thing keeping you in a house." My dad slapped my lightly on the head when he said that, and I flinched, more from worry about what would happen if I didn't than from actual pain.

"I'm listening! Your boss is a jerk, because he says you're not really safe!" I lied. I wasn't listening, but when the same thing was said to you every day, you picked up on things.

"Whatever," my dad growled, leaving me to get my finger picked.

I did get my finger pricked, not even responding to the flick of pain. A needle in the finger was nothing compared to my home life. Then I stood in the Town Square, leaning on the velvet rope that separated the fifteen-year-olds from the fourteen-year-olds while the videos droned on. I wasn't worried that I was going to get Reaped. I didn't even consider the possibility. At least, I didn't consider it until the escort called my name.

I walked up to the stage, trying to stay steady. I stumbled for a couple of steps, noticing sweat appearing on my hands and my brow. That wasn't supposed to happen. That was impossible. Nobody gasped, or seemed to notice me. The only person that noticed said the only words I really heard.

My dad hissed, "Good riddance."


	14. District Five Reapings

**Important notice! The last tributes I need are the two pair. CALEB and LOKITHISISMADNESS , if you see this, get them in as soon as possible. I've PMed y'all, but the more notices the better.**

* * *

 **Rotor Aeolius Ypsilon (14) D5M**

Rabid dogs were chasing me. That didn't surprise me at all; like most of the world, I was a bit off-put by the thought of a rabid dog tearing me apart. I was running from them, which was also entirely sensible. Most people would run from rabid dogs. The main issue with my situation was that I was running slowly, almost as if my feet had been dipped in concrete. I was running so slowly that it almost seemed like the scenery was moving past me, instead of me past it. The dogs were gaining; they were practically on me.

I woke up in a cold sweat. Usually I spooked awake long before that could happen. That time the dogs almost got me. I threw my legs off the side of my bed and got up, reaching for the lightswitch and my dream journal. I turned on the lights and jotted down my entire dream in the dream journal. My hand cramped, because I was so focused on including every single detail that was in my dream that I ended up writing multiple paragraphs. I wrote the entire background to my dream, and every detail of scenery I could remember. I actually almost fell asleep while doing that, because it was so boring to jot down what I had just been experiencing.

A couple of times I caught myself fading out of reality. I also caught myself almost writing down my daydreams instead of my sleep dreams. That was one of the issues that came with knowledge that I had to fall back asleep again as soon as possible. I was trying to stay drowsy, which meant my brain was tired, and my zoning out was far worse than normal. I almost dropped the pencil once. When that happened, I decided that my writing was detailed enough, and I forced myself to read through it a couple of times. Reading through my writing was nearly as hard as writing it, but I focused the best I could, then went back to sleep.

I opened my eyes in a field instead of my bed, and the rabid dogs were approaching me again. This time, though, the tides had turned. I jumped up above the dogs, so high they couldn't possibly get near me, and then flew away. The dogs seemed confused, but I ignored them. I sat down on a nearby cloud and kicked my legs over the side, talking to birds and butterflies. For the time being, I didn't have a worry in the world.

* * *

 **Nacelle "Cell" Hall Aeolius (16) D5F**

When I walked into the lab, I was greeted by the stares of my coworkers. The slam of the door had spooked them from their daydreams, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. I was two minutes late, which wasn't much, but it was enough to stick out to everyone else. It was the first time in a while that I had been late, and my loud entry made everyone notice it more than they normally would. If nothing else, though, that forced them to rejoin the real world and go bad to work.

"So, Cell's late again," Ace said, crossing his arms. I sighed. He was the only mean person in the entire workplace. He was rude to everyone, which made me happy, because that meant he wasn't singling me out, but also annoyed, because rudeness is a terrible decision.

"Truly late is a matter of opinion. Seeing as the passing of the Earth past the sun shifts now and then, there's actually a rather strong possibility that I've been here early every single day except this one, and this day I'm perfectly on time," I replied, completely calmly. The words flowed through my head as fast as I could speak them, and I almost stuttered a couple of times.

"Nope! The clock says eight oh two. That means you're late. Your dumb theories don't change that."

"But ultimately, can it be decided that the clock is the true moderator of time? Does the apparatus on this building's wall retain jurisdiction of every aspect that is our daily lives, or do the ticking mechanics on our wall gain that mastery of us? Is it generally assumed that the gears of every single clock in the place we call home move at exactly the same speed and time? Or is it assumed that there can be slight errors, though they often remain unnoticed, and therefore the two minutes could truly be nothing. The possibilities for why I am not late are endless, however, the possibilites for why I am not on time are truly finite."

Ace didn't have much of a response to that. I could tell that he had stopped paying attention halfway through what I was saying. I would have stopped paying attention to what I was saying, too. It was rambling and hardly coherent, and I was using big words just to trip up any listeners. Still, it got Ace to shut up, and it impressed my coworkers, which was all I was really trying to do.

"So, as I am currently assuming can be the general belief, it has been established that, while I have arrived here at a later period than you, you cannot truly prove that I am late. At this point, you couldn't prove it regardless of how much effort I put in, because the hands of the clock have shifted, and you lack both proof and evidence. Kindly allow me to get to my work."

* * *

 **Note: When I said "the words flowed through my head as fast as I could speak them," I do realize that it could come off as cocky. It is not supposed to. It simply does sometimes go that people think faster than they can speak.**


	15. District Two Reapings

**Wolf Krieg (18) D2M**

Standing in my room, in front of my mirror, I tried to prepare a speech. I was expected to have a short speech for when I volunteered, but I wasn't expected to have a victory speech planned just yet. Speeches were generally given to you by the Capitol, and during your victory interview you were being interviewed, not to mention that there was a chance I wouldn't win. Still, most volunteers planned something. The ones who were actually chosen were expected to, just in case they had to hold the interview up, or in case the escort's speech was dumb.

"Of course, I knew from the beginning I was going to win," I said to the mirror. Nobody was better to practice lying in front of than myself. "All Twos expect that, from the time we're born," I continued lying. Only some Twos trained. An even smaller amount kept training, and only the elite got chosen to volunteer. "Winning the Games is practically a rite of passage, at this point."

 _Dumb. Dumb, dumb, dumb._ That was nothing new. It was nothing exciting. There was no wow factor anywhere in it. I was a fighter, not a writer. As much of a jack-of-all-trades as I was supposed to be, in order to be the perfect volunteer my District needed, I couldn't write. I decided to say my volunteering speech to clear my head, because I needed some time off of thinking.

"What made you volunteer?" I asked myself in the mirror. I already knew my answer, but some things just sounded better with a prompt. I tried to use a dumb Capitolite essence to loosen myself up a little bit, and it worked, which was good. I couldn't be tense on the day of my life.

"I've been preparing for it for years. Two has chosen its tribute, and I'm going to have to win, or I'll disappoint a lot of people. Though, I suspect that Valerie wouldn't be too upset if I lost," I finished, smiling widely. That was all I needed to say for a volunteering speech. It was supposed to be short and to the point, introducing me to the Capitol without showing everything off.

"Wolf? It's time for you to go, honey!" my mom called for me from downstairs.

"Coming!" I yelled out, sprinting down the stairs and into the street. It was my time to shine. I had to make every choice from there on out count, or one would be my last.

* * *

 **Valerie Cartwright (17) D2F**

"Come on, Scott! It's been forever since we to Capitolesque. Besides, we haven't done lunch together in so long!" I pleaded, trying to get my boyfriend to bring me on a date. Usually I could just drop a hint and he would take me, but this time he had been avoiding it. He didn't say why, and until he mentioned a reason, I would continue hoping he would.

"All right, I guess! Come on. What are you gonna order, anyways?" Scott replied, slowly walking over to Capitoleqsue. I squealed in response, rather than actually replying. I didn't know what I wanted to get yet.

We sat down in the restaurant, being led to our spots by a waiter, and looked through the menu. Scott grabbed my hand and I smiled brightly at him. I didn't really care about holding hands, but I didn't want him to get annoyed with me when I had finally gotten him to bring me somewhere. I just looked through the menu, trying to decide what to eat before the waiter came back.

"What can I get you today?" our waiter asked.

"I'd like a cheeseburger, please, and some tea," Scott said. He had a thing about ordering first, and I always let him.

"I'd like a double cheeseburger, please, and a soda." My order was less sophisticated than Scott's, but I didn't mind. The waiter left, and Scott turned to me.

"Whoa! Don't you have to watch your girlish figure?" Scott asked me, clearly joking. I laughed.

"I suppose I should, but food is food! Who am I to turn down something this delicious?" In reality, I was watching my girlish figure. Too few calories could be less pretty than too many calories, and I needed to pack in some extra food before the Games. I always needed to pack in some extra food, but the Games was another reason.

"So, are you sure you want to volunteer?" Scott asked me.

"Definitely! It's a chance for me to be something great!" I said, smiling again. I didn't want to make my answer sound harsh.

"I'm not sure you should. What if you come back changed? Or what if, by freak chance, you die?" Scott asked. He was trying not to offend me, but that wouldn't be easy.

"I should," I said, a bit more harshly than my last sentences. "I've been training for this for years. The Games won't change me because I'm prepared, and freak accidents are freak accidents. There's not going to be one."

"Well, what if it's not a freak accident? There are other Careers there, too, and they're all going to want to win."

"I'll have a backup plan, okay? I always do and I always will. Besides, killing me early will get them bad rap. I'll just make sure that what they think is the right time is really too late."

"Please don't. I can't stand to lose you, even for two weeks."

"Well, you're going to have to. If you don't get off my back it could be more than that." Scott frowned at my last statement, but he quieted down. I smiled at him. "Come on, hun. You know I love you. I'm just passionate!"

"Yeah. Yeah. I just wish you loved me more than your Games."

"I do! The Games will give me a chance at a better life. We could eat bonbons all day instead of working! Wouldn't that be better? We'd be able to spend so much more time together!" Our conversation was cut short when our food arrived. I smiled politely at the waiter and picked up my food, quickly devouring the burger. I was so hungry I could eat a horse, and arguments didn't help.

* * *

 **Whoo! Finally done with the Reapings. I just have to do the Hunters and we can get to the good stuff!**


	16. HUNTERS

**IMPORTANT NOTE! All this takes place in the Capitol. However, we're going to assume the Capitol is having an off-week because the Games are coming up and they're weird. Please enjoy this dumb excuse instead of minding that this is nothing like what the Capitol should be like. I needed crazy scenes.**

* * *

 **Icykill (That's his name) {32} Hunter**

"This year, select Capitolites will be allowed to participate in the Games. They will have a Games experience, and they will hunt down and kill tributes." That was the announcement that changed my life. Of course, it was longer than that. It was a long fancy speech about how Capitolites were included in the war, too, and how the deserved a chance to relive their victory. I just didn't really care. I hardly listened past the point where I heard I could be included, and I only started listening again when they mentioned rules. The rules just said you have to have personality. That was something I had.

I was one of the first people in line for the selection. You had to go there, sign up, and hope you got chosen. I filled out my form, mentioning everything good about me and trying to leave out anything the Capitol wouldn't appreciate. The form wasn't as in-depth as I expected, mostly asking for basic things, like personality and appearance. I thought they would want willingness to kill, strengths, weaknesses, and the like, but there were only five sections.

 _One word to sum you up:_ _Hyper._ I had to think about that one for a while. I was a bit hyper, yes. I could also be a jokester. I could have written down determined, but I didn't think the Capitol would like to hear that as much as they would want to hear that I was hyper. The Capitol wanted personalities, and I was about to give them one. Of course, they hadn't bothered to specify what sort of personalities they wanted. I would have wanted to mimic what they wanted, but I figured they assumed most people would do the same thing.

I never expected that I would actually get chosen. It had to have been thousands of people that signed up for a hunter spot, and there were only four slots. When I got a piece of mail saying that I was in, and that I should start extensively training, it was only natural that I would freak out entirely. I got a chance to actually have some real violence, which was normally super illegal, and live in an entirely new biome. Capitolites almost never got a chance to have real fun. I was joining the elite.

* * *

 **Vibrant Gellert (Aka "Rainbow Massacre") {18} Hunter**

I headed off to a party, like I had just about every night for the past couple of weeks. Ever since the Capitol announced that there was going to be a Games Capitolites could get involved in, there was even more reason to go out to parties. I was never one to turn down a party, whether I was specifically invited or it was a party anyone could go to, and I wasn't about to miss this one. _It's always party time._

While my driver was driving me to the party, I did my hair one last time. I couldn't quite see it perfectly; some of the hues were off because of my rainbow eyes. Capitol technology was amazing, but not quite perfect. Still, I could see each of the spiraling colors well enough to know that it looked pretty much how it was supposed to. I was also wearing a rainbow tux, though I had painted my nails white instead of rainbow. Every good outfit needed a focal point, and mine was not about to be something lame, like my non-rainbow skin. That was unplanned, and everything I did needed to be planned.

My driver got out of the car, opening the door for me, and I was greeted by waves and screams. As it turned out, being a hunter got you even more fame than being a model. I smiled and waved at all of my fans, and then worked my way into the party. Girls swarmed me, and I knew I could have my choice of any of them at my whim and fancy. A lot of them wouldn't even mind if I dated most of them at once. Capitolites didn't mind that, unlike District One girls. I had my time with One chicks, and I would never bother with one of them again, although my tattooed "Tourmaline" wouldn't let me forget it. I could escape from that for short periods of time, though. I grabbed the girl closest to me, a tall girl with bubble-gum pink hair, and smiled as her friends sighed in disappointment while I dragged her onto the dancefloor. I was feeling pink tonight, and the other girls didn't have pink hair.

"This is some party!" I yelled out to my selected babe.

"Yeah! Best one I've been to this year."

"You know, this might be my last one for a while. Will you miss me while I'm out hunting?" I asked. The girl had no attachment to me, but I was curious of what she would say. It was amazing what girls from the Capitol would do to keep someone around.

"Of course I will! It's awesome that I even got a chance to dance with you!" I smiled, pulling the girl towards me, and kissed her. Capitol girls would date you based off of status, not personality.

* * *

 **Clariselle van Doom (Aka "Doom Doom") {40} Hunter**

Everywhere had its danger zones. It didn't matter how perfect a place was, there was always somewhere you could go that would greatly increase your odds of getting killed. Now, that way could be legal death or illegal death. I generally prefered going places that could kill me in a legal way over illegal ways, and I always knew where to find those places. The Capitol had those places everywhere, even though none of them were natural. The sky-diving was over deliberately-made Capitol cliffs, and the rafting was over Capitol rivers. I didn't mind that. Thrill was thrill.

My plans for the night were pretty basic, compared to my normal plans. I was going to go running with the bulls. It happened every night, and the place was less packed than it had been when it opened. Some people stopped going because they didn't want to die, and others stopped because it wasn't new and exciting anymore. I stopped for a while because I had better things to do, but with the announcement about hunters, I had to sharpen my planning skills, and an activity where I could actually die would force me to do that.

"Are you ready?" the Capitol worker who told me how to run asked me. I nodded. I was in a sprinting position, well aware that I didn't need the advice the lady was giving me. I didn't intend to do this thing right. I intended to learn new ways to run, not the basic stuff. "Ok!"

I started sprinting away from the bulls, quickly running down an alley. A couple of the bulls followed me, while others took different paths. I looked around while I ran, trying to scan for possibilities. _Pipes. Hit them upside the head. Buildings. Jump in a window. Hide inside one. Climb up the stairs to gain the high ground. Small alleys. Bulls can't fit through those._ I made myself a minimum of six finds a minute. I didn't have a plan for what I would do if I didn't succeed, but that didn't matter. I always succeeded.

 _Water. Hop over it and they might trip. Trash can. Throw the trash at them. Cover yourself in trash to seem less appealing. Hide in trash can. Climb on top of it to have high ground._ I could feel myself slowing. You could only sprint for so long. I climbed into one of the buildings near me and up the stairs, sprinting the whole way. I had to get out of there so I didn't die, but that didn't mean I was going to stop working myself.

* * *

 **Faye Quaritch (No Stage Name D:) {18} Hunter**

I walked down the darkest alley I could find in the Capitol. I was in a bad mood, and I wanted to let out some steam. It was pretty hard to do that illegally in the Capitol, but where there was a will there was a way, and I was about to find my way. Not even laws could stop someone who was determined, and if I got caught, I would call it training. The hunters had been selected for a long time, and I was one of the lucky four.

Flicking out my switchblade, I switched it over and over again. It was fun to fiddle with, and I wanted to be ready to use it on someone when I got attacked. I said if and not when because I was going to keep walking the streets until someone got the nerve to attack me. It was dark enough that I might look less strong than I really was, and lots of Capitolites liked getting into fistfights just for the heck of it. None of them needed the money they could get through mugging people, but they all loved the adrenaline rushes.

It was taking a lot longer than normal to get attacked. Usually anyone walking around with a lot of jewelry would get attacked in this alley within an hour, but I had been wandering aimlessly for almost three. I put on another necklace, just to make sure people would notice that I was worth some dough. Maybe people thought I was poor, which I definitely wasn't. I hunched down a little bit to seem less intimidating, because anyone that was six feet tall might scare away the average person. Finally, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed someone coming towards me.

A man was running at me with a knife. I turned at met him with my switchblade. He pulled back, obviously not ready for someone who actually intended to fight back. That was too bad for him. He raised his knife at me and I slashed at him, making sure to twist my knife as I went. It didn't do much extra damage, but it hurt a lot more. The guy pulled back again, yelping in pain, but I chased him down. He wasn't getting away from me. I tackled him down and grabbed onto his hair, banging his head into the ground again and again. He kept yelling, and I grinned. I wasn't going to kill him. That would get me in trouble. I was just going to have some fun.

* * *

 **I'm going to list appearances for these four, just because they're not normal. Obviously.**

 **Icykill: A pale, hot Jim Carrey.**

 **Vibrant Gellert:** **He has rainbow colored hair, rainbow colored eyes, even rainbow colored nails. His darker brown skin is covered in rainbow tattoos of hundreds of different odd things. He usually wears rainbow colored tuxedos, and he has several vibrant earrings in his ears.**

 **Clariselle van Doom:** **She has medium-length blonde hair and fair skin, while also being exactly 6 feet tall. She wears bright red contact lenses for a very intimidating look, but underneath them are her natural bright blue eyes. She puts a lot of colorful makeup on her face, like having a pink-fuchsia-red scheme, rainbow scheme, light-green with light-blue, etc. She wears a platinum bracelet on her right wrist, with her given name on it in Greek letters. Half of the time, she wears what flirty girls would typically wear: a beautiful gown or dress - the shorter, the better - with sandals or heels. The other half, she would wear a shiny coat with its matching pants and high heels. The colors for either attire change every day.**

 **Faye Quaritch:** **Bubblegum pink hair in a pixie cut. Porcelain white skin. Rainbow-colored eyes (she got surgery for it). A tattoo across her entire right arm, with pale pink designs of dragonflies. Slender figure. 5'4". She always has an impish, mischievous smile on her face. From afar she doesn't look like a threat, but she is honestly a very dangerous hunter.**

 **Note for humor: Both Vibrant and Faye have rainbow eyes. They should get along well.**


	17. Train Rides All of Them

**Extravagance Eleanor (D1Mentor)**

"I'm pretty much used to the Capitol," Tourmaline said as soon as she walked onto the train. I knew that before she got near me, and I expected that sort of greeting. She was a decent kid, but she had priorities, and Satin was better at training kids than I was. I was perfectly willing to work with Jack while she focused on the serial killer.

"I could always use to learn," Jack said to me, sitting down beside me. "What makes you a winner, and how do you appeal to sponsors?"

 _I'm gonna like this kid._ A surprising amount of people disregarded me because I wasn't a savage like Satin. Jack didn't. "Sponsors like strong hot people. They also like funny people. Just make sure to stick out. Someone like you could probably do that with seduction," I said, shamelessly checking Jack out. Careers were hot. That was a fact.

* * *

 **Totsuki Sugihara (D2Mentor)**

Valerie started eating as soon as she stepped on the train. I respected that decision. Even for Careers, it was good to calorie load before the Games, and she was a stick. Still, I couldn't talk to someone who was training, so I turned to Wolf.

"How'd you get yourself into this mess?" I asked him. Sure, the Games were fun, but they could be a mess, too. No matter how hard you trained, you could still die.

"I don't really know. The District needed someone who would win and my family wanted pride, so all of my time turned to training. Now I have to win, or my family will be shamed," Wolf said, completely casually. It wasn't the best reason to win, but at least he had something other than just life.

"Ok then. Valerie. First off, what's with the food? You've eaten, like, five hundreds calories. Second off, what's your story?" I asked my other tribute.

"The food is because I know I'm a stick. I need to have some weight on me to fight well. I lived off of dates in the District, but I can't very well live off of eating every third day for my entire life. May as well fatten up while I can. My story is simple. I lived a bad life, and winning the Games will fix that. If I lose, at least I'm not living a crummy life." Valerie offered no further explanation, and I expected none. I also didn't expect a Victor after seeing what I saw.

* * *

 **Tellie Cathode (D3Mentor)**

"Lumen, what did you make in your factory job?" I asked my mentee. I didn't know why I got the male, but I didn't particularly care.

"Whatever we had to. Sometimes with strict instructions, sometimes with a picture... Things varied a lot there, but the paychecks didn't."

"Ok. You're going to use that in the Games. You can analyze well, obviously. Scorcha has already repeatedly alerted me of her math skills. You and her might make good allies. You can make the plans and she can perfect them. Simple as that."

* * *

 **Talaysa Pool (D4Mentor)**

"You're a wrestler? Do you have cool tattoos? Do you have an epic, crazy personality?" Usually my tributes had tons of questions for me, but I had far more questions for Mahi.

"I wrestle for strength, not for popularity. I do have lots of tattoos, but my personality is epic without being crazy. At least, I hope the Capitol will think that. I should stick out, at least."

"You will. You're so cool! I'm not used to wrestlers. Everyone from Four has to use a trident."

* * *

 **Sol Johnson (D5Mentor)**

"You both work with dreams?" I asked my tributes. They seemed to be joined together at the hip, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Loyal allies were always useful.

"Yep. We get asked that a lot," Nacelle replied.

"And you get paid to work with dreams?" I asked.

"Yes," Rotor said.

"How?"

"Capitolites are petty. If we can make their dreams involve more hot guys, they're happy. We can also decrease nightmares and stuff, which everyone appreciates," Nacelle said casually. _Hm._

* * *

 **Doppler Corvair (D6Mentor)**

"Why are you dressed as Captain Panem?" I asked Kenzie as she walked onto the train.

"Funny. That's the same thing the attendant asked me. I was roleplaying and I lost track of time. There goes my pride," Kenzie said, completely casually.

"I think it's cool. Be yourself. Who cares what the District thinks of you? You're the one who's going to be famous. You're one of forty people in the entire District who will be on live TV for two weeks straight," Rodney said.

"All right, Rodney, that's a good mental state and a good way to attract allies. Stick with that and you'll find yourself a leader, which can be a good thing. You and Kenzie might want to stick together. Kenzie will get you sponsors and you know how to think." Kenzie frowned when I only said she was good for sponsors, but I didn't know that she was good past that. I had just met the kid.

* * *

 **Cassia Rose (D7Mentor)**

Ashley and Sparrow didn't really stick out to me. That meant they wouldn't stick out to the Capitol. I only had two kids to remember, and the Capitol had twenty-four kids and four hunters. I had to find some way to characterize them beyond what the Reaping tapes would show, which was far more easily said than done.

"All right. Sparrow, what's your story? Do you got an incentive? Need to get rich quick?" I asked Sparrow, since he was the first to sit down.

"I have a girlfriend, which helps. She means a lot to me," Sparrow replied. He was surprisingly calm for being on the train, but I wrote it off as shock.

"Nope! Don't mention her unless the situation calls. If you can pull off the lovebird angle it's cute, but it's way easier to flirt with the Capitolites," I said, then turned to Ashley. "What makes you stick out?"

Ashley sat down and thought for a couple of seconds before replying, slowly saying, "Nothing, really. I lived a pretty normal life and I'm a pretty normal person. I can argue sometimes, but that's about it."

When she said that it was my turn to consider. "Well, use that. Bring that point out. Don't make everyone hate you, but seem like a fiery spitfire. I'll take to Marcelene ahead of time to see if she'll help you pull it off, or she might get offended." That was certainly true. Marcelene had no chill.

* * *

 **Rybbon Marbroox (D8Mentor)**

Something was off about Noil. I knew that as soon as he sat down beside me. He kept fiddling with his hands and looking around. Fear was to be expected after being Reaped, but the kid didn't seem scared. He just looked nervous, which made some sense but was totally irregular. I focused on him, knowing that Ember would take care of Jeanie, and the last thing Noil needed was an encounter with Elias.

"Is something wrong?" I asked Noil, realizing afterward just how dumb of a question that was. Of course something was wrong. He was going into a deathmatch.

"I don't think I'm gonna do well," Noil replied quietly. "I've never been the best at anything, and you have to be the best to win the Games. I'm gonna die, aren't I?"

As much as I hated to admit it, and though I would fight the fact with tooth and claw, it was probably true. I also probably didn't care to tell him that. "Who says you have to be the best? I wasn't the best at anything. I shouldn't have won against Minos. There's a thing called being a jack-of-all-trades. Decent at everything, perfect at nothing. That's what you should do."

Noil smiled when I said that. I smiled, too. It sounded decent, which wasn't what I expected. Being a jack-of-all-trades could work, too. It usually didn't, but there was always a freak chance. I was living proof of that.

* * *

 **Flora Amfora (D9Escort/Mentor)**

"You don't need to train me. I already know everything I need to know," Culic said as soon as he stepped onto the train.

"Well, screw you, too," I said, entirely calmly. He be a jerk, and I would reply, but only in words. I would not let a savage have control of my emotions. "Well then. Avena. You're going to need sponsors. I'm not calling you weak, it's just that everybody needs sponsors. Do you have a way to stick out?"

"Well, I hate my mother because she cheated on her husband and he's a terrible person. Will that make me stick out?" Avena asked me.

"Well... Yes. Yes it will. That's a good backstory. Since I can't help you there, let's talk about personality. How do you stick out there?"

"Hm... I'm usually reasonably polite, but I know how to hold a grudge. Could I try to be some calm and collected backstabber? I would explain to allies that sponsors are a thing."

"You could, but maybe don't. Sponsors don't like mean people, unless those people are Careers." For once, I had a bit of advice to give. And that advice was that my tribute shouldn't be a terrible person.

* * *

 **Bessie Deere (D10Mentor)**

"Why are you covered in blood?" I screamed, jumping up as soon as Nepeta came onto the train. "Gosh, the Games haven't even started! Oh my gosh!

"She went hunting. And got in a fistfight with the Peacekeepers," Equius explained, seeming more than a little annoyed. He turned to Nepeta. "We get one first impression, and you make yours a terrified little girl!"

Nepeta was glaring. "I hunt. Life is life. Now I have blood on me. That's life. Now I should seem strong. Did you see how long I held off the Peacekeepers? And how awesome I looked, throwing blood everywhere? It looked like I really injured them! That's so cool!" I sighed. There was no way a little rebel would win, and it seemed that was what I had on my hands.

* * *

 **Harvest Cormick (D11Mentor)**

"Could you explain part of that again?" I asked Darren.

"Which part?" he asked me, seemingly entirely ready to answer any questions I had. My answer was unlikely to make him happy.

"All of it." Darren's theory was one of the craziest things I had ever heard, though it would explain how in Panem Rybbon had won her Games.

"Ok. Like is a story. Nothing but that. There's an author that chooses everything about us. Our emotions, our actions, our friends, our enemies, et cetera. Nothing we do is our choice. Nothing about us is our choice. That's why I was calmed when I got Reaped. It was my fate. I'll win if I'm supposed to win and I'll die if I'm supposed to die. I'm just a character in a huge story. Does that make sense?"

 _That's what you just said._ "Yes. It makes perfect sense now.

* * *

 **Bellepheron Steed (D12Mentor/Escort)**

"Oh, gosh, you're thin! You're as thin as Smudge!" I frowned, both at Zeke and at the though of Smudge. She was a good kid.

"Yeah. That's life in Twelve," Zeke said, not caring at all that I was worried about him.

"Not for everyone! Lots of other kids I've seen were reasonably healthy. Scorpia is healthy! Gosh. You need to eat." If I could tell that he was thin, he was thin. The Capitol wasn't known for its fat people.

"Ok. I'll eat. Can we strategize while I eat?" I nodded.

"I don't know everything there is to know about the Games, obviously. I'm not the brightest person in the world. However, here's what I know so far. No matter how strong you are, you can still die, and no matter how strong your allies are, you can still die. You need to work on both things, and work on popularity. The Games are multi-factor, and Zeke don't you dare stop eating yet."

* * *

 **As I'm sure you all can see, I'm trying something new this time. Giving each District its own train ride chapter is annoying, time-consuming, and boring. I have no intentions of doing this. This is your train rides.**

 **FIXING THINGS ABOUT ZEKE!**

 **Zeke lives with his stepdad, not his dad, who is a geologist, not a miner. I'm not sure how Zeke's dad managed to make geology dangerous.**

 **ANOTHER NOTE!**

 **Sorry if anything seems a bit off about these characters/mentors. I wrote this entire thing without my file of forms. It wasn't easy.**

 **Finally, I notice that it seems a bit repetitive. I tried to have some exciting scenes, but these tributes just aren't that exciting.**


	18. Appearances

**Someone requested an appearance summary forever ago. Now is as good a time as any. Note: I proved commentary, since just appearances can get dry. Another note: This is my SECOND chapter today. You likely will not get two notices, but I also wrote the train rides.**

* * *

 **Draco Stilleto**

Oh. Four hunters to deal with. How can I make this entirely legal? If they die, Ginger might be chill.

But you know what they say.

Better safe than sorry.

* * *

 **Jack Xhaca:** **6-0, 180 lbs, dark, short hair**

 **Tourmaline Addells:** **Tourmaline is tall and curvy with long blonde hair. She's very beautiful and seductive, but doesn't seem like she'd be a good athlete even though she is. She likes to wear makeup and fancy clothes and adores colorful, vibrant things. (She enjoys vibrant things, Vibrant...)**

 **Wolf Krieg:** **Aryan dream boy**

 **Valerie Cartwright: Tahnne Atkinson (Do her parents hate her?)**

 **Lumen Hal:** **He has short, messy dark brown hair, freckles, brown eyes, and pale skin. He is about 5'6, a bit less than average weight, and barley any muscle. Also, he wears glasses. (But will he in the Arena?)**

 **Scorcha Bellamy:** **Sorcha has chestnut brown hair which match her lightish brown eyes and has light skin. Her dimples are very prominent when talks as well as when she smiles. She has a really slim and quite short build , only being 5"2. And she thinks to get taller and get a bit more fat on her she has to eat. And she eats. A lot.**

 **Mahi Katao: Mahi is very tall and stout. He has a big barrel chest and muscular limbs. He has a square face with a flat nose and round cheeks. Basically he looks like a bulldog, but he's a person. He's covered all over in tattoos. (How did Talaysa not notice?)**

 **Halona Remus:** **Halona is a big kid, standing at about 5'8". She is slightly overweight, yet the training her mother made her do as thinned her down a bit. She has short blonde hair that comes to just above her shoulders and small brown eyes. Her skin is pale, and she isn't all that pretty. (Gosh, how much do you eat? You must burn 1,000 calories a day training.)**

 **Rotor Aeolius Ypsilon: Rotor has big blue eyes, short dark brown hair, and fair skin - having Caucasian heritage. His face is dotted with a few freckles, and his height is just right for his age. He normally wears a blue or light blue shirt with some design along with a pair of jeans and dark blue rubber shoes. When working at the research lab, he wears a large white lab coat over his usual outfit. (Dat name doe)**

 **Nacelle "Cell" Hall Aeolius: Cell is Caucasian, with curly, dark brown hair she keeps in a plait, and black-rimmed glasses framing brown eyes. She is tall and thin for her age, with large ears that stick out somewhat. Much to her chagrin, she looks like the textbook image of a scientist.**

 **Rodney "Rod" Sanchez:** **Light brown skin (that has a yellowish tint) with brown hair that's been tied back into a ponytail. Pale blue eyes that have small bags underneath them. Stands at 5 feet and 10 inches. (Doesn't hepatitis do that to you?)**

 **Kenzie O'Donell: S** **he's from an Irish decent, so she has decently long ginger hair that she wears in a bun, and lots of freckles. She stands at about 5'6.**

 **Sparrow McKrail:** **African-American with dark brown skin. Coarse, curly black hair and black eyes. He stands at 5 feet and 8 inches. Has a birthmark on his neck, but not very noticeable. (Are we sure it's not a hickey?)**

 **Ashley Cavanough Jr: Ashley has a lighter skin tone, longer black hair, and hazel eyes. She's taller, about 5'7, and weighs around 135 lbs. She's decently muscled from working in the forests as a basic typical D7 lumberjack, but she's not so muscled as to be unattractive. Ashley has thick dark eyebrows, and a small nose. She also has a tiny dot of a birthmark on her right wrist. (Two birthmarks from Seven. Soulmates.)**

 **Noil Kimball:** **Noil has darker skin with curly black hair and olive green eyes. He's middle height and pretty skinny. He likes to dress up usually (dress shirt and slacks).**

 **Jeanette "Jeanie" Umbry:** **Jeanie has long, curly red hair that frizzes and bothers her constantly. She has gray eyes and a slight spray of freckles. She is average height for a 13 year old girl, and has a slender look to her. (Ok but grey grey, or faded blue? Grey eyes confuse me.)**

 **Culic Norph: A** **bout 1.75 meters tall, white skin, black hair, hazel eyes. (But why Culic sound like Kulak?)**

 **Avena Ceres:** **Curly dark brown hair that falls to mid-back, choppy bangs across her forehead. Dark green eyes. Tan skin. Freckles. 5'3". A bit plump, but not fat.**

 **Equius Wang:** **Equius is a big, muscular boy with dark brown eyes and very short black hair. He is of Chinese descent.**

 **Nepeta Shepherdson:** **Nepeta is a super tiny white girl with brown eyes and short, messy black hair. (Well, why would it be messy?)**

 **Darren Pechay:** **Darren looks like an ordinary kid that is half-African and half-Asian. He has narrow brown eyes, brown skin, and curly black hair reaching his shoulders. He usually wears a white tank top and a pair of white shorts, but he can be dared to wear anything.**

 **Sarah Lilac** **: Long, plain, straight brown hair. Deep brown eyes. Glasses and freckles, average height, underweight. Mixed skin tone.**

 **Zeke Danbury:** **Zeke basically has the typical Seam look. Olive skin, grey eyes, and short black hair. He stands at 5'8, and is tall and lanky. He weighs around 130 pounds, which is obviously still light, but a lot more than most of his age in District 12 weigh. He has thick, dark eyebrows, as well as spotty bruises all in different places of their healing process. He's slightly muscled, but not very much so really. It's not really noticeable unless you're only a few feet away from him. (Whoops. There's some backstory here.)**

 **Scorpia Alden:** **Straight chestnut brown hair that falls to her shoulders. Dark brown eyes. Fair skin. 5'8". Tall but pretty thin, for lack of food. Freckles on her face and dotting her nose. Usually doesn't look welcoming, mostly has a concentrated look on her face.**

 **To anyone considering writing an SYOT, note that this is only the appearances you have to read through.**


	19. Stylists

**Note: I did an appearance chapter. I think most people have seen it, but again, the notification might not have gotten sent out.**

* * *

 **Caelina Livantus (D1Stylist)**

"Oh my gosh I get to meet Tourmaline Addells herself!" I was shamelessly ignoring Jack. I didn't care about him nearly as much as I cared about Tourmaline. "What can I possibly do to improve upon you? You already know how to model and everything!" I didn't have a specific idea just yet, but I knew that she was going to be the star of the show. Jack couldn't possibly look better than she did, and I may as well just have him flaunt her.

* * *

 **Sonoma Cleric (D2Stylist)**

Wolf seemed not to care at all about what I dressed him in. When I asked him, he just said that the parade didn't matter that much. Imagine that! The parade not being one of the most important parts of the Games. At least Valerie knew what mattered. She didn't have much of a fashion sense, but at least she was trying to help me out. "Honey, that orange does not go with that green. Let me take care of that."

* * *

 **Uranus Glaze (D3Stylist)**

Inspiration rarely struck a Three stylist. They had so many possibilities, but none of them were good. The tributes rarely helped out, which only made matters worse. In Seven you could do a pretty tree. In Three it was not that simple. I was greatly relieved when Scorcha came in and immediately tried to help me out with an outfit. Her idea wasn't the best in the world, but I didn't need that. I just needed something to go off of. I could always handle the rest.

* * *

 **Kohl Augustine (D4Stylist)**

"Dang, girl! You look fine!" Finally, I had something to work with. Four girls almost always looked the same, but Halona was entirely her own breed. Four was fish, which were slim and elegant, which was exactly why I needed a girl who wasn't perfectly slim. Fish were overdone. I was going to go off on a tangent entirely my own. I just needed an excuse, and even though Halona wasn't obese, the other Capitolites wouldn't know.

* * *

 **Jezebel Esther (D5Stylist)**

Nacelle and Rotor did _not_ stick out. There was little to be done about that. All of my stylist friends were huddled around me, trying to come up with a decent idea for them, but there was just nothing to be done. I sighed and reached into my bin of easily recyclable outfits. The show had to go on, no matter what happened. My tributes just wouldn't be the show stoppers.

* * *

 **Estee Lauder (D6Stylist)**

Rodney had nothing going for him except his muscles. I was going to use that, but I couldn't only use that. I could get fired if my costume involved nothing but muscles, and getting fired was not in my game-plan. Kenzie, however, was a creature of inspiration. Becoming a meme in the Capitol did that to you. Now that she had a piece of fame, I was going to build onto it. Fletcher could fade, but Kenzie never would.

* * *

 **Sephora Hyler (D7Stylist)**

Trees were out of the question. I had done that a couple of times before, and people never liked it, even though it actually was pretty difficult to make bark realistic. Making a tree and lumberjack pair was a bit horrifying, so I couldn't do that. I had planned to do something entirely new and amazing, captivating each of my tributes' personalities and essences, but they didn't have much going for them. _Okay. Next year for sure. This year was just for practice._

* * *

 **Revlon Cosmix (D8Stylist)**

Making the tributes just fabric was not acceptable, apparently. Making their outfits fabric and saying that it was technically Eight-inspired also wasn't acceptable. Nobody ever said anything about making fabric-related ideas, like materials. Nobody ever said anything about using the inner layers of fabric to make our tributes stand out, either. It wasn't the idea, but it wasn't directly against the idea. _Loopholes._

* * *

 **Lucullus Pedalite (D9Stylist)**

Culic was a turd. That was the fact of the matter. Most people who gave their tributes crummy outfits did it on accident, because they couldn't do better or because their idea was better as an idea than once it was implemented, but Culic's outfit would not fit that form. He was getting a bad outfit because he was a bad person. Avena also didn't seem to be the best girl, but I didn't mind her, and I needed some sort of focal point, or people would be mad. _Figures._

* * *

 **Narcissa Belfleur (D10Stylist)**

"Oh em gee you two know each other? What are the _odds?_ " I squeaked as soon as Nepeta and Equius introduced themselves. "Okay, okay, Equius, you get out of here. I can't dress Nepeta in front of you."

"So our outfits are going to be the same?" Nepeta asked me as soon as Equius was out of the rooms.

"Of course not! Do you know how _boring_ that would be? They're going to be related, silly." Some people didn't know how parades worked. You couldn't have everyone wear the same thing, or it wouldn't really be a parade.

* * *

 **Olay Yallansen (D11Stylist)**

Darren was exciting on his own. His mentor had told the Capitolites a little bit about him, and he was quickly becoming one of the more famous tributes. That meant I could do something entirely boring for him. Sarah was more simple. Nobody seemed to remember her, and I was going to fix that. I was going to remember her, but more importantly, her outfit was going to be memorable. "Okay, Darren and Sarah, this is kinda weird, but just go with it."

* * *

 **Rondo Nona (D12Stylist)**

Twelve was, by far, the most boring District. Nothing exciting came out of it. Even my tributes weren't exciting, although Zeke did worry me.

"Oh, ew! Your back is all covered in bruises. Showing that just will not do. I suppose I can't just sprinkle you in coal dust, then." That ruined my plans. It was back to the drawing board for me, and I only had one day to plan. _To think. It'll look weird if I only have one tribute in dust._


	20. Parade

**Icy Smooth (Capitolite Parade-Goer)**

Year after year, Berree, Creamy and I went to the parade. Usually it was just us three, but this time Berree insisted that we bring along Unimportanta and Stupidita. I didn't mind that, except that it was a bit of a break from what I was used to. I would express my concerns later, once I was done enjoying the parade for all that it was worth. I had priorities, after all.

District One rolled out, and I tapped Berree and Creamy to get them to stop talking and pay attention. It was the first time they had been distracted during a parade, and it was because of the other two Berree dragged along. _Hm._ I shifted my focus from them to Jack and Tourmaline, since it wasn't really worth the bother. If they wanted to miss out on the parade, our only plans we always agreed on, every year, that was entirely their choice.

Jack was less than impressive. His outfit was a simple tux, except it was bedazzled. Honestly, it was a bit of an eyesore. I yawned when it went by, despite Creamy throwing him a rose. Tourmaline I expected more from, and I got more. I recognized the jewel she was named after, and I didn't expect her stylists to be able to play with it well. It was a multicolored gem. However, her stylists did a good job. Tourmalines dress faded between yellows, greens, and reds, and managed not to be hideous. She had a matching crown, and I noticed a ring on her hand. I recognized the ring from Tourmaline's various photoshoots, and I threw her a rose for that. Her stylists slipping that in there was fantastic.

Two rolled out, and again I found myself less than impressed by the outfit. Wolf was wearing a chainmail suit, which looked uncomfortable and practically useless. We had better armor than that these days. Still, I appreciated the accuracy of the past. Valerie was dressed as Aphrodite, which didn't make much sense. Two wasn't the goddess District. She was very pretty in her outfit, though, which was particularly impressive, because it wasn't too revealing. Her dress went all the way to the ground, actually, and mostly draped like a potato sack. I threw her a rose.

When Three rolled out, my eyes were immediately drawn to the male. His outfit was bright and shiny, but that was pretty much all there was to it. I could see how it represented Three, but I had seen better. Scorcha's outfit bored me entirely, since it was just a black dress with some wires. I could see her fiddling with the wires, and I hoped she didn't break anything. Suddenly she connected two of the wires and her dress lit up, throwing some sparks behind her. I threw her two roses, and I saw a flurry more fall afterward.

District Four followed the trend of a failure for the males. Mahi was a simple fisherman. I got to see a lot of tattoos, which was cool, but it was still a disappointment. Even he looked sad in his simple outfit, so I threw him a rose and smiled at him. He deserved better than that. Halona was covered in multicolored scales, from red to blue to purple. Some of them were even silver and glittery. I could see a thin layer of fabric beneath the scales, and I was sure Halona was grateful for that. I threw her a rose.

District Five broke the trend of crummy male, great female. They had a crummy outfit for both. Rotor and Nacelle were dressed in matching outfits, both as mad scientists. Their goggles were a little cool, but past that, they were boring. Almost nobody threw roses their way, and I sighed and threw one of mine. They looked so disappointed in their outfits. Some of these stylists needed to be fired.

Rodney's outfit was lame, which didn't quite surprise me. He was wearing a grey muscle shirt, suspenders, and a striped conductor's hat. I had seen that done before and I would see it again. Kenzie was just a car, so I practically ignored her. That wasn't worth my attention. About halfway down the path, though, Kenzie pressed a button on her car and _stood up,_ suddenly looking like a robot. I squeaked a little when I saw that, and I threw her a rose. That was actually impressive.

Sparrow was dressed as a lumberjack. I hoped that Ashley wasn't dressed as a tree. Sparrow looked pretty cute in his outfit, but more of puppy-dog cute than actually attractive. No sixteen-year-old should look puppy-dog cute. Ashley, thankfully, wasn't a tree. She was wearing a short white dress that was entirely covered in leaves. I was guessing that were weren't supposed to be able to see the dress, but I didn't mind. It made a nice focal point, since just leaves would have been even more boring.

District Eight was boring, just like it almost always was. Noil was dressed as a machine, which definitely wasn't fabric, but it was pumping out fabric as the chariot went along. I commended the stylist for not just doing fabric, but it still could have been a lot more impressive. Jeanette was just a ball of faded blue yarn, with only her head and hands sticking out. She looked terrified, which was probably because she had no way to keep herself upright. Noil held her up, and I threw them both a rose, one for pity and one for recognition.

I hoped that District Nine would be something exciting. We had only had about three good outfits so far, and none of them were for males. Culic did not break that pattern. He was wearing a hideous brown tux, which he only made more hideous. I didn't throw him a rose, despite his disappointment. Screw him. Avena was wearing a brown fur dress, which she actually pulled off, that went down to mid-thigh. She had horns and a light dusting of gold powder on, creating quite the magical look. I threw her a rose, which was only one of many.

District Ten was a bore. I didn't understand how they did that, year after year. They had tons of animals and foods to work with, as well as trees and a general homey aesthetic. What did they give us? Cowboys and cowgirls. Equius looked entirely done with his outfit; he didn't bother smiling or waving. He just glared at the bottom of his chariot. Nepeta was dancing around in her cowgirl outfit, and after a while, she lassoed Equius. He smiled then, and I grinned. I threw them a rose for making something dumb into something decent.

Darren I knew would pull off anything he was given. He was so bright all the time. Even he had a hard time pulling off being dressed as an eggplant, but he tried. Sarah was dressed as a gorgeous goddess. She had purple makeup around her eyes and her hair was tied up. Her dress was varying shades of purple, and she somehow had wisps of light flowing around her. She kept making motions with her hands while Darren danced around to them. _Creative._ I threw them a rose.

I had low expectations for Twelve. Zeke did not exceed them. He was a big lump of coal, with dust sprinkled on his face. I was pretty confident that that was super bad for you, but so was going into the Hunger Games, so I didn't really judge. Scorpia was prettier, and she was actually pretty good for Twelve. Her dress was a bright yellow ballgown, plastered in yellow feathers. She had big, fake yellow wings and a yellow crown. I laughed a bit when I saw it, but Scorpia didn't seem to mind. She was smiling and trying to flap her wings. She got two roses from me.

* * *

 **There we have it! Now the entire trio has been introduced. Creamy, the complete ditz, Berree, the slightly-smarter-than-a-ditz (with sass), and Icy, who actually has a brain.**

 **But I have a question. Do y'all want me just to focus on the Games, or should I actually develop the Capitolites?**


	21. Careers

**I bet you didn't think I would update on CHRISTMAS DAY AFTER NOT UPDATING FOR LIKE TWO WEEKS.**

 **A couple of notes: Tourmaline's POV is kinda an information dump, but it was what was requested. In relation to Tourmaline's POV, there is ONE (maybe two?) harsh sexual term(s) in the POV. Probably nothing you haven't seen, but it's good to have a warning.**

* * *

 **J** **ack Xhaca (18) D1M**  
In every Career Pack, there was a leader. It was a good spot to be in, but only for a while. I intended to avoid being the leader like the plague, whatever that was, because I wasn't sure I could handle that responsibility, and because I didn't want to be directly in the line of fire if anything went wrong. Valerie, Tourmaline, Mahi, and Halona didn't seem interested in being leader, so Wolf more or less stumbled into the position. That worked for me.

"All right. The first and last day, we should all focus on our strengths, just to keep them polished. We should all watch each other train, so we know what we're working with. There is no shame in playing down how strong you are if you're being watched. I just think we should have a general idea of where each of us needs protecting, since all of us do have our weaknesses. The other five days I think we should spread out a bit. We need to survive and kill. Does that work for all of you?" Wolf asked us. We all nodded, and I headed off to the sword station.

Before I could get to the sword station, an announcement got my attention. "Attention, all tributes! Please report to the center of the training room, near where you entered. The Head Gamemaker has an announcement for you."

There was no rejecting such a direct order, so I headed to where I had been directed to go. All of the tributes were huddled around there, which made sense, and Draco Stiletto was making an announcement.

"This Game will not be a normal Games. Four Capitolites have been given the opportunity to join in. You're all probably wondering why I'm bothering to tell you this. Since these Capitolites are citizens of the Capitol, you are not to kill them. This rule has been decided. Obviously, if they attack you, you are allowed to fight back. You are to do everything you can to win without killing them. Killing a Hunter, as these Capitolites have been dubbed, does not remove you from the running for Victory. However, killing one without being attacked will lead to termination. That is all." Draco walked out of the room, done talking.

I glanced over at the other Careers, and we huddled together. Other tributes were huddling, too, and everyone seemed terrified. Even I was off-put by this turn of events. "So, what are we going to do?" I asked Wolf.

"We should ignore the Hunters as much as possible," Wolf said, surprisingly confidently. He had to be thinking on his feet. "They probably won't be going after us, because we're Careers. We're the Capitol's sweethearts. If you do get attacked, ignore the rule about not going for the kill. You can't think about mercy during a life-or-death situation. The only thing that should change a lot is how we show ourselves to the public. We don't know who the Hunters are, and we don't want them knowing our strengths. We shouldn't tell any Capitolite what our strengths or weaknesses are. It'll ruin some sponsoring, but it's not a risk worth taking."

I nodded again, and the huddle split. We made sure that the Capitolites couldn't watch us training, and then I headed over to the sword station. I couldn't let that announcement get me down. I needed to focus on the Victory and nothing but it, or I would be bound to make a fatal mistake.

* * *

 **Tourmaline Addells (18) D1F**  
When I walked out of the training center, I got a lot of dirty looks. I heard some people muttering things about me, like how much of a terrible person I was, and how Vibrant deserved better. One girl looked like she was just about ready to slap me in the face, but she held back. That was a wise choice. If she attacked a tribute, she probably would have been Avoxed.

"Whore!" someone yelled at me. That was uncalled for. The Capitol thought I cheated on Vibrant, but he never said I sleptt around. Capitolites needed to know their terminology better.

Sighing, I slipped into my room. I hated the looks, and I hated how much the hate was going to ruin my chances. There was no chance that the demon of the Capitol would win the Games. I wouldn't get any sponsors, for one thing, and the Capitol would probably go out of its way to kill me. I needed to kill the buzz somehow, and I had just the idea.

"Hey Satin," I said, walking over to my mentor. "Do you know where I could get a recorder?" Satin nodded wordlessly and beckoned me to follow. I did as I was commanded, and I was led into a room full of high-tech electronics. I picked out one of the simplest recorders, since I didn't know how to work the others, and then went back into my room.

"Hey there, Capitol," I started, unsure of exactly what to say. I didn't have a script or a plan. I was just going with whatever my mouth decided to say. "It's your favorite little devil. I kinda have a lot to get off my chest, and I should probably do it now, before every moment of my life is spent fighting for it. It's hard to know exactly what to say right now, but I know what point I want to get across.

"All of you think I'm a terrible person. Don't try to deny it; you proved that to me when I heard the whispers all around me. I should have seen that coming. To the best of your knowledge, I am a terrible person. But did you ever stop to consider that maybe it was the other way around? Maybe, just maybe, I wasn't going to risk everything cheating on a Capitolite. Maybe I knew that could get me Avoxed, and maybe that wasn't a risk a potential volunteer was going to take. It's hard to volunteer if you don't have a tongue.

"So, I can't ever fully convince you that I didn't cheat on Vibrant. I can, however, give you my word, which should be more than enough. I, Tourmaline Addells, have never cheated in a relationship. I cross my heart, hope to die. Now, I have bee cheated on. I had my heart torn out by the man who said I did the same, when I walked into my room to take a nap after a long day and found my be occupied. It was taken by two people, and one of them was definitely my boyfriend. Vibrant Gellert, who insists that I'm the one that sleeps around."

* * *

 **Wolf Krieg (18) D2M**

Training wasn't something that could just stop. I was supposed to train day and night, to ensure that my family would be proud of me. I had always thought that goal was reasonable. My parents brought me into the world. They fed me and raised me. It was only reasonable that they could get something out of the deal, too, although I wouldn't have chosen rushing headfirst into a deathmatch. Still, parents were parents. They were authority, and they deserved my respect.

I did show respect for my parents in volunteering. Never stopping training was out of the question, though. The training center was closed for the night. I could have kept training by asking the other Victors questions, or by watching tapes of previous Games, but I wasn't interested. I had something that I needed to do while I was in the Capitol, partially because it could be my last chance and partially because the Capitol was the only place to do it.

 _Hall of Victors._ There was a small wing in the Capitol dedicated to the previous nineteen Victors. It was pretty small, but I assumed it would be made larger as more and more Victors won their Games. I walked into the room, amazed at how much detail was in each of the statues. Each Victor was heroized beyond belief, prettied up and muscled up, but it was still easy to tell who was who.

The first statue I looked at was Menalaus's. He was the perfect Victor, and he was from Two. He fought his way to Victory like a warrior, and that earned him the right to be the first tribute to bring Two honor, many years ago. I peeked at Nero's, Totsuki's, and Shale's statues, too, but I knew them more than I knew Menalaus, and they weren't the type of people I was supposed to look up to.

I pulled my medal out of my pocket. It wasn't really _my_ medal; it belonged to the family. I didn't know what it was for, but according to my dad it was a huge honor, and he would be honored if I brought it to the Games with me. I found it odd that I had taken the token my dad wanted me to take. I could be dying for him, and I gave up the one luxury I could have had. I sighed and turned from Menalaus's statue. I recognized why he was honored, but he wasn't someone I knew I could be. He never showed any fear. He probably never even felt any fear. I wasn't even going to bother trying to never be afraid.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Bessie's statue. It was calmer than most of the others. All of the Victors from One, Two, and Four were portrayed as warriors, as were a lot of the other Districts' Victors, but Bessie's wasn't. I remembered hearing about her Games. She just avoided all of the enemies until it was too late. Two hardly recognized her as a Victor, because she was so wimpy the entire Games. I envied that girl. She made it through an entire Games being scared, and only the Districts that meant nothing to her despised her because of that.

I felt a couple of tears streaming down my cheeks as I knelt by Bessie's statue. I should have gone to bed, but I didn't feel like it. I was too busy thinking about the next couple of weeks. I was about to spend what could be the last days of my life and what would be the last days of my humanity fitting the mold my parents required. If I messed up even once I could be disowned, and I would have lost everything over nothing. That wasn't a life I wanted to live. But I walked straight into it.

* * *

 **Valerie Cartwright (17) D2F**

I didn't mind Wolf being leader, and I didn't mind his training plan. It was entirely basic, but the basics could work. None of us Careers really needed to learn much more than we already knew. We were probably going to get sponsored enough food that we would be fine without gathering, and we could hunt all that we wanted without a worry in a world. Our only real worry was that a tribute might get brave and go after us and somehow damage us despite having all the odds stacked against him, which was against all odds.

Our training outfits were long-sleeved. I appreciated that. My arms were a bit bruised up from my last week spent at home. I suspected that the proper Capitol nutrition I was receiving and my circulatory system would have me in perfect health by the time my Games started up. I had about a week, which was plenty of time for bruises to heal up until they didn't matter at all.

Nobody shadowed me while I worked on my whip talents. I preferred a whip with spikes, because it could do more damage, but I was practicing with a normal whip. I needed to know how to use one of those effectively, and I didn't want any other tribute or Career knowing that my weapon of choice wasn't a normal whip. I wasn't the strongest Career, and I knew it. I wasn't even the strongest female Career. I was going to have to slip out of the other Careers' main lines of sight, or I would be doomed.

With that train of thought, I focused on whips and only whips the entire day. My arms were pretty tired by the end of the day, but I didn't mind that. I would work out my legs that night, and maybe the next day, but I really did have to focus on whips. Only having one weapon was a huge weakness, and it was easy to fake that. Any true Career would know a vast amount of weapons, but any human could forget that.

* * *

 **Mahi Katao (18) D4M**

I trained a lot in Four. That was good, and I didn't think a week of training or lack thereof would affect the outcome of the Games very much. I did intend to shadow a lot, like Wolf told us to, but just because I wanted to be able to help out the other Careers. I knew most people would take advantage of our invitations to shadow to scope out weaknesses, but I thought that dumb. There was no honor in winning solely because you knew a lot about your opponent. That was good, but I would prefer to win because I was actually the better fighter.

After scouting around for about an hour to see my allies' strengths, I got bored. It was a bad time to get bored, but I didn't much care. I wandered out of the training center and decided to find something more interesting. I couldn't know for certain what would be more interesting, but I figured there had to be something. The Games Center was a big building.

It took a couple of minutes, but I stumbled upon a library. I didn't know if I would find anything of too much interest there, because I wasn't much of a reader, but I assumed there would be something in a library for everyone. It was an awfully big library. Sure enough, I was correct. A small history section was in the tape section of the library, and it contained a couple of tapes about my people, the Maori.

I had done all the research I could about the Maori in my Distict, but Four only had so much information. The Capitol could have much more extensive history, and they didn't have to worry about many people finding out any good stuff about the Dark Days. There was a good chance I wouldn't be alive to tell. I soon found myself completely immersed in a video about the food, martial practices, and histoy of Maori people.

A gasp and a clatter shocked me back into the real world. A girl was looking at me and making her way over to me. "Are you Mahi? The Four tribute?"

"I am," I replied calmly, standing up. I assumed it was a fan. I didn't think I would be the most popular Career, but most Careers had fans just because they were Careers.

"I'm Icy," the girl said. "I saw you in the Parade. You seemed sad. But you don't seem like a guy that gets sad often."

"I'm not. I tend to try and be happy. I just wished that my outfit was a little bit cooler, because the Capitol could do anything they wanted."

"I still think you're cool," Icy continued, sitting down. "You seem like a nice guy. Not all Careers are nice, but you seem happy. Not just, like, a pure warrior. What are you watching?"

I could see excitement flashing in Icy's eyes. I couldn't tell if it was because she hadn't seen Maori videos before or because she was starstruck, but I hoped it was the prior. I could always use a chance to talk about the Maori. "I'm watching a video about my people, the Maori! They were warriors, just like me!"

"They sound cool," Icy said, leaning forward and resting on her elbows. "Can you tell me about them?"

"You bet I can!" I sat down next to Icy. "The Maori were warriors. They started off as hunters or gatherers, depending on the person. We ate a lot of birds when we first started off, but slowly we grew to switch to gardening. That was a more reliable food source. We liked to give a lot of gifts, and if you received a gift you were expected to give one back. Your return gift was supposed to be more valuable than the one you got, or else you could be shamed. I think that sounds like a pretty cool system, except that you could ruin a family by giving them a huge gift. That was probably frowned upon, though." I was lucky that Icy was interested in the Maori people. There weren't many topics that I could ramble about.

"This is all very interesting, and I want to hear more. The library is kinda uncomfortable, though. Do you want to go to a restaurant with me and talk there? And, if you're not busy, do you think we could talk again tomorrow?" Even though I wasn't the smartest person in the world, I could recognize when someone was flirting with me. There was no need to move to a restaurant.

"I would love to. Which place do you recommend? You've been in the Capitol longer than I have."

* * *

 **Halona Remus (18) D4F**

I trained very hard all week, and I burned a lot of calories. For the most part, I ate a humble amount of food. I didn't want to put on any extra weight right before the Games, because that would throw off everything I was used to. On the second to last day, though, I knew how things were. One day of eating everything that I wanted to would not make me gain any weight in the long run, and I would have a full day to digest the short-term weight. It was about time for me to treat myself.

The Capitol had tons of restaurants everywhere, and almost all of them were free to me. Feeding a tribute was good rep. That meant I could choose any food I wanted, and, despite common stereotypes, I knew exactly what it was that I wanted. Chinese buffet was the best type of food, even if I didn't eat it often. I intended to go to the kitschiest, most fake Chinese restaurant I could find, because that was where the best food was. That food was delicious, and it was tons of fun.

I knew I had to train a little bit while I looked for food, and I could do that without a problem. I looked for a restaurant while reciting things about my allies in my head. _Jack. Good with swords. Good social skills. Nothing but swords to him. Tourmaline. Super weird emotional status. Super driven. Good with weapons. Could be Capitol's sweetheart. Wolf. District favorite. Leader qualities. Best prepared._ I needed to know everything I could about my allies, because that could be the difference between life and death.

After going through my list a couple of times, adding notes here and there, I found the perfect restaurant. I was recognized as soon as I walked in, and the waitress led me to a seat without asking any questions. I appreciated that. I didn't mind being talked to, but I hadn't eaten all day to make sure that I had plenty of room for this meal. It was almost seven o'clock, and I was hungry.

Food was aplenty in the Capitol. There were rows and rows of options to choose from, and I only had one plate to start with. I dished myself up a hearty serving of noodles, some wantons, various types of chicken, some weird fake meat, and a biscuit to start with. I said to start with knowing that I likely wouldn't be able to eat any more after that but reminding myself that I could, because splurging once in a while was all right.

One person noticed my full plate, and she brought her group of friends over to my table. "Whoa, Nelly! Are you going to eat all of your opponents, too?" The girl's friends high-fived her when she said that. I had to admit that there were a lot of calories on that plate, but I wanted the girl to shut her face. "Gosh, I thought Careers were at the peak physical level of fitness! You're going to die of a heart attack before you even get into the Arena!"

I flipped the girl off while I finished up my mouthful. I chewed slowly, trying to find a good response. "You know, as a Capitolite, I suspect you already knew what food was here. I only had a week to taste stuff like this. You've had all your life, yet here you are, still eating the very calories you mock me for. It seems rather hypocritical, does it not? Anyone with brains would know that." That sounded a lot fancier than it really was, but Capitolites were dumb. The girl glared at me and walked away, and I took another mouthful of noodles.

* * *

 **Another note: Did somebody say... Capitolite development? Icy will probably never get any POVs mid-Games, but there's always honorable mentions.**

 **ANOTHER NOTE: Careers without mention of training still totally trained. Some just didn't only train during their time, and for others, training scenes get boring.**

 **FINAL NOTE I THINK: This chapter is very long. Sorry about that. If you don't want to read it all (because I probably wouldn't read this thing), go right ahead and skim. I won't judge, even if I can tell by your vague review.**


	22. Steampunk?

**Note: All of this is happening inside the Games Building. It didn't seem like that last chapter, but the Games Building is a huge skyscraper with tons of places and floors and a basement. You can do anything you want without stepping foot in the Capitol.**

* * *

 **Lumen Hal (17) D3M**  
The Games Building was the most amazing place to which I had ever been. That was really saying something, seeing as I came from Three. I came from a world that created and designed some of the most exciting technology known to man, but still, the Capitol defeated that. I didn't know that was possible. Everywhere around me there was technology. Some of it was for training, and it was something I had never seen before. Some of it was for food. I didn't even know that technology could be easily incorporated into serving food, but there it was. Little pieces of my life were all around me, everywhere I looked.

Once the Training Center closed, I could wander around the Games Building without worrying about missing out on anything important. That was exciting to me, because everything around me was exciting. There were a lot of old-fashioned signs flashing, and I knew the technology behind them. There were some fancy holograms, which I didn't know the technology behind. I wanted to learn everything I could about every bit of that technology, but I had to focus on a different part of the Capitol. That part was the people, who could be the difference between life and death while I was in the Arena.

I looked at all of the people I walked by closely while I wandered the Games Building. I heard bits of an exciting conversation, about some boy and his ex. I heard about grades in school, work, and upcoming parties. Nobody seemed to notice me listening in on their conversations, which definitely surprised me. Most of the time, tributes stuck out like sore thumbs. Somehow, I didn't. Everybody was too immersed in themselves to pay any attention to me. I assumed that wouldn't happen during the Games season, but it did.

A word I had heard before ran through my head when I thought about that: Sonder. I didn't know the exact dictionary definition, but I knew the sense of the word. Sonder was the realization that everyone around me had a life just as intense or interesting as mine. I assumed that everyone would recognize me as soon as I walked near them, but they were thinking about their lives, which were entirely separate from mine. The Capitolites that bought the things I made had lives of their own. The Capitolites that sponsored me stuff, that entire crowd of people that looked at me during the Parade, they all had personalities, backstories, and futures. Each of them was as detailed as I was.

That wasn't a fact I wanted to face. That meant the same thing was true for the other tributes.

* * *

 **Sparrow McKrail (16) D7M**  
If I knew anything about myself, it was that I needed an ally. I was a social person, and two weeks on my own in the Games would kill me if exposure didn't. I had to have someone to talk to and someone to notice me, which hadn't been going for me too well. I didn't stick out in training, I didn't stick out in the Parade, and I probably wouldn't stick out in my interview. I also wasn't likely to stick out in the Arena, which meant I would need to approach someone all on my own.

All around me, alliances were forming. Two four-people alliances formed, the Career alliance came together without planning, and I saw a lot of people pairing up. I had to get in on the action quickly, or I would be left out completely. I looked around, almost desperately, for anyone who was standing on their own. People mostly stuck together once they were allied. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw a boy standing by himself by the trap station.

"Hey there! I'm Sparrow. I've noticed that a lot of alliances are forming this round of Games, and anyone who's on their own will be a big target. How would you like an ally?" I asked the boy, walking up to him. I slowly recognized him as Lumen. He seemed more quiet than I was, but I thought that would be a good thing. If we were both extroverts, we would drive each other insane.

"Hm? What do you bring to the table? I'm Lumen, by the way." Lumen looked at me mildly judgementally while he spoke, and I felt slightly intimidated. I was taller than Lumen, but he was older, and I was guessing he was a lot smarter.

"Well, I'm obviously good at fading into the background," I said, laughing a little bit. Lumen smiled, but he didn't look really impressed. "You can trust that I won't stab you in the back, because I'm really friendly and killing someone would be bad rap. I will provide moral support." I realized how dumb all of that sounded as soon as I said it, but there was no taking back my words.

Lumen looked around for a couple of seconds before replying. He sighed, then said, "I'm not one to generally ally, but you do have a point. I'll be sniped if I'm alone. I say we should ally! Meet me sometime after training, and we can try and learn more about each other." I was surprised when Lumen said yes, and even more surprised when he wanted to learn about me. He seemed so sterile that I didn't think he would show any interest, but I could be about to make the biggest mistake I could. I could be about to make a friend.

* * *

 **Yo, yo, yo! A new writer, _curiousclove ,_ is writing an SYOT. I have skin in the Games (hehe), so y'all should submit.**


	23. Oo No

**Jesse Tecoup**

Omg Hunger Games. Omg hot tributes. The tributes this year are hot.

Leg so hot

Hot hot leg

Leg so hot you fry an egg

* * *

 **I need YOU!**

 **My computer is completely whack (it is broken almost beyond use, honestly), and somehow or another, my Games drive got whacked. It's just... gone. So, if everyone in THIS Games could resubmit their TRIBUTES and HUNTERS, that would be nice. Also, I need RYBBON MARBROOX'S and TOTSUKI SUGIHARA'S forms, because they still appear as Victors.**

 **Pls help.**


	24. Sarah and the Littlies

**Scorcha Bellamy (14) D3F**

 _Oh. My. Gosh._ I thought I had seen everything there was to learn about DNA back in Three. After all, we were the main District when it came to DNA, so there was no point in the Capitol having tons of knowledge on it. Still, it did. I was surrounded by textbooks full of information on the strands of life, and I was learning things I never knew were known to man. It made a bit of sense, because the Capitol was so fond of mutts, but it was still surprising.

It was after the Training Center had closed. I could lock myself in my room all night, looking through all of the Capitol's fancy books. I did mostly focus on books, even though there were electronics full of knowledge, too. I just liked the feeling of flipping through the pages, and I loved the smell each book held. I spent a long time just flipping through the pages, not reading a single thing.

 _A genetic chimerism or chimera (also spelled chimaera) is a single organism composed of cells with distinct genotypes. In_ _ **animals**_ _, this means an individual derived from_ _ **different**_ _zygotes, which_ _ **can**_ _include possessing both female and male sex organs, blood cells of two blood types, or subtle variations in form._

I thought there was more to it than that. I knew that the Capitol could merge DNA well enough to make species entirely of their own kind, although they generally didn't. The Venus Flytrap mutts were definitely shockingly different than normal flytraps, which was all of the proof I needed. I noticed my hands shaking a little as I went to flip the page, but I knew it wasn't from fear. I was excited to finally be able to read at my own pace, not following along the basics we had been covering in school for years. I was finally seeing something that was reasonably new to me, and even though it was only reasonably new, I was thinking about things all on my own, something that Three was bad at encouraging.

Suddenly, I realized something. I was a bit of a prodigy when it came to genetics, and I made sure people knew that. If I was a tribute, I could show that off to even more people. I could even show it off to the Capitol itself. If I won, there was a chance I could be invited to the Capitol, hopefully as a geneticist. I just had to make a big enough show for them to think I was worthwhile.

* * *

 **Ashley Cavanough Jr. (17) D7F**

I should have been getting a lot of sleep. It was important to get healthy amounts of that right before the Games, after all. If I went into the Arena exhausted it would be a death sentence, for certain. That knowledge plagued me while I was conscious, but it didn't do anything to help me while I was asleep. Impending doom brought nightmares, which brought more certain doom. That brought more nightmares, making a vicious circle of anxiety and exhaustion.

Every time I tried to sleep, I thought of the same thing. Every time I closed my eyes, I was plagued by the same image. I saw a tree slowly falling, which made sense. I had successfully cut it down. The problem was, it was falling towards me, instead of away from me. I couldn't move. That was just what happened in a dream. Every night the tree crushed me, and I could feel bones cracking. My dreams were so intense. I knew I would either die or be paralyzed, which was death, in Seven.

When I woke up in a cold sweat, I realized that something had changed about my dream. The previous night, I was just crushed. I could live. It was unlikely, but possible. This night, I could hear someone behind me. Shouts of joy were coming closer to me. Footsteps were coming, too. I couldn't turn to see who was racing towards me, but I could hear their exclamations. I could recognize their voices. Slowly, the Careers were honing in on me. All six of them were there, taunting me and getting ready to kill me. Mahi pulled out a knife, slowly cutting into my skin.

I was glad when I woke up. I didn't have to deal with it until the next time I went to sleep. I didn't know when that would be, if ever. I knew that the dream was completely unrealistic. None of these Careers were interested in taunting. They wouldn't torture me. Reassuring myself only made my fears worse, though. Those thoughts forced me to recognize that they were the only unrealistic part.

* * *

 **Sarah Lilac (18) D11F**

I had an alliance. I had all the training a tribute could pack in their brain in one day. I didn't necessarily have a future, but I had the makings of one. Since we already had hang-out plans, and a lot of us recognized the need for privacy, I had a good amount of free time. I wasn't certain exactly what I wanted to do with that free time, but I had plenty of ideas. My main one involved my sister, but I wasn't sure how well it would go.

Of course, I wasn't going to be put down by a simple thing like how unlikely my wants were. I would be dead if that was the case. My main problem was that, no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find a school in the Games Building. It wasn't a logical place for a school, but the Capitol wasn't logical. My solution to that problem was a fancy thing the Capitol called field trips. Eleven had them, too, but none of them were directly connected to the Games preparation, and none of them brought schoolkids straight to the Games building.

"All right, kids! Do any of you have any questions?" I wasn't technically a teacher, but I was an adult. I was reasonably respectable, so the Capitolites let me talk to them about talking with the kids, but I figured my new position was more of a tribute perk. I was probably going to die soon, and I couldn't damage a kid much in one day just by talking to them.

"Do you feel proud? Being a tribute?" a young child asked me. She didn't seem like she fit quite in with the other students, so I assumed she was ahead a year.

 _Proud?_ It was hard to feel proud. I was days away from choosing between being a murderer or a corpse. I could see the teachers looking at me out of the corner of their eyes, smiling at me. I thought they didn't look completely innocent, though. I wasn't about to lie about something this petty, but I could bend the truth. "Well, I'm not particularly proud just yet. I'm actually a bit scared. I've made a lot of friends here, and we can't all live. I do think I'll be proud if I'm a Victor, though. It's an honor." I wouldn't be proud of the killing. I would just be proud that I had managed not to get killed. But I didn't have to mention that.

* * *

 **Darren Pechay (13) D11M**

It didn't take much convincing for me to get Ashley, Sarah, and Scorcha to go out to supper with me. They easily recognized that we needed to get to know each other a bit, and all of us would be calmer than normal if we were eating. Scorcha said it had something to do with your brain thinking you were safe, but I didn't much care about the details. I cared about the food.

"Scorcha, Ashley, Darren, and Sarah walk into the restaurant. They are soon greeted by a waiter, who is wearing a pristine white coat. The waiter stares at Darren while he points out that he's being stared at. Darren is used to this. The waiter slowly walks off, turning to speak to Ashley, who is one of the eldest." I didn't mind the staring I got from the waiter. That happened all the time.

"Table for four, please," Ashley said, looking at me askance.

"Darren walks over to the table, falling into the lead," I started. Lots of people in the restaurant were looking at us now. "He sits down, followed by Scorcha, then Sarah, then Ashley. Sarah mouths that he should be quiet. This surprises Darren, because she seemed like a nicer girl than that. Sarah blushes at Darren's sass, then turns to Scorcha."

"Well, Darren will be fun to have around. While he's saying this, what do you like to do?" Sarah asked Scorcha.

"The waiter walks back to the table before Scorcha can reply. Darren turns to her and begins to order. 'I'd like a soda, please, and a cheeseburger.' Darren recognizes how simple of a meal this is, but he doesn't care. Each of the other people in his group order the same thing, and the waiter leaves. He looks relieved. Sarah looks at Darren."

"What the heck are you doing?" Sarah asked me.

"Narrating! What does it look like? The waiter walks back to the table, handing everyone their food. That was fast, but it's to be expected of a Capitol restaurant," I said.

"Well then," Ashley said, obviously wanting to change the topic. "What was it you were interested in?"

"Scorcha seems taken by surprise by the question. Darren is surprised by her surprise. This is a commonly asked question. Darren knows that his answer would be seeing just how weirded out people get when he keeps talking. Scorcha seems annoyed. She's standing up. Oh no! She's moving threateningly towards Darren. She's picking up her drink. DARREN THINKS IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO SHUT UP NOW!" I put up my hands defensively. I didn't need to get coated in soda.

* * *

 **Again, I wish to point out that these tributes are training. I just never mention that in-story.**

 **More importantly, Sarah is not necessarily a big baby. I point this out (just like I pointed this out with Rybbon previously) because yes, she is crying, but I think we all would.**

 **Also, I don't know why this got called Sarah and the Littlies. Ashley is seventeen. Some reviewer dubbed it that, and here it stands.**


	25. DreamDuoQuintessentialQuartet

**I feel like this is something I should point out, because it's something everyone seems to have commented on. In the train rides, I wasn't saying that the tributes were boring. I was saying that some of these tributes didn't seem like they would have exciting interactions with their mentors on the train.**

* * *

 **Nacelle "Cell" Hall Aeolius (16) D5F**

 _Jack-of-all-trades. Person who knows a bit of everything. Master of nothing. Never put all of your fish in one barrel. Jack-of-all-trades, master of none... But what's next?_ My thoughts were scattered. That wasn't supposed to happen. It never happened. I was repeating myself a little bit here and then, even in my thoughts. It was all accidental, and it all wasn't supposed to happen. I was supposed to be calm and collected. Calm and collected kept you alive. Calm and collected kept you relatively safe. Yet here I was, freaking out a bit in the Training Centre. _At least you'll get your freak-out done now, and not later._

Even though a jack-of-all-trades was a master of none, it seemed like the best idea for me. There was no guarantee that I would be able to find a specific thing if I just hopped randomly into one section. Maybe there would be no weapons in the Games, and I would have to use a rock. Maybe there would be no berries, only bugs. I couldn't possibly master anything in a week, but I could dip my foot into everything.

I knew where I was going with my training. I wanted to work on basic, easily makeable weapons for the first day. Then I could work on harder weapons, like knives. Once I had a lot of weapons down, I would switch to survival. I thought about what survival things I wanted to do while I tried to find the best basic weapon, repeating the order to myself over and over again. It just helped.

 _What's this?_ A very simple weapon was laid out in front of me. It was just three strings tied together, with rocks on each end. I figured that would be makeable in the Arena. I could use vines for strings, or maybe shoelaces, or I could rip up my shirt, if the weather allowed. There was always something that could be done for a basic rope. Rocks were everywhere, too, so I would be able to make that no matter where I was, which would make it absolutely perfect for a tribute that found themselves somewhere random.

"How do I use this?" I asked the assistant, who was leaning toward me excitedly.

"A bolo is extremely simple to use. You grab onto the point where the strings collide, holding the bolo with only one hand. Then you swing it above your head, and release when the bolo is moving where you want it to. Bolos are hard to kill anyone with, but they can slow them down..." I listened to every word the trainer had to say. I couldn't master the bolo, but I could memorize the basics.

* * *

 **Kenzie O'Donell (14) D6F**

"What _is_ this?"

Doppler led me to a room in the Games Building once the Training Centre closed, not giving me any hints as to what was in it. I had no idea what to expect, because the sign on top of the door was just a bunch of lines and weird smiley faces. It was entirely bizarre, but I didn't really mind that. Nothing about the Capitol wasn't bizarre, and I was slowly getting used to this.

"This is called _anime._ I thought you would like it," Doppler replied casually, smiling as my face lit up. I did like it. All around me there were little superhero action figures. I could tell they were heroes without seeing them in action just because of how they held themselves. Televisions around me gave me hints about the characters, and I knew where I would be spending my entire night.

"Is this blue guy good? And the red dude's bad. That's how these things go, right?" I asked Doppler while he lead me around the store.

"How should I know? I just learned the word anime like a week ago. Go ask the clerk!" Doppler replied, playfully shoving me towards an attractive Capitolite clerk. He couldn't have been much older than I was. He had droopy eyes, which were pretty much the hottest thing in the world.

"Hey, sir? Could you help me out here?" I asked the person, more quietly than I normally spoke. "Is this blue dude a good guy, or the red dude?"

"Contrary to the public's general expectations, the person with the red aura is the good guy. His name is Ukog, and he's nice, but dumb. The guy with the blue aura is Ategev. He's smart, but cold and proud and oh my gosh you're the Captain Panem girl!" The clerk said most of his statement without looking at me, and when he turned around I blushed. I _blushed._ I was actually a little bit ashamed of roleplaying Captain Panem, just because of a dumb guy.

"Yes, I'm Captain Panem girl," I replied, still blushing.

"Well Captain Panem is far Ukog's superior, but he's still pretty cool."

"What are you talking about? Captain Panem is awesome! I haven't even seen Ukog in action, but nobody could beat Captain Panem. He's such a good guy! Like, yeah he's weaker physically than some heroes, but he's got heart! That's the _most important thing_ someone can have!"

"Ukog can fly."

"Point taken."

* * *

 **Jeanette "Jeanie" Umbry (13) D8F**

 _Writer's Workshop. Open to anyone and everyone, of all ages, genders, and experiences. Come in, and let your imagination free!_ the sign above a room in the Games Building read. I wondered if I was allowed despite the sign saying that everyone was allowed, because I wasn't exactly a normal person. I couldn't be certain whether or not tributes counted. Still, the sign said everyone was allowed, I was definitely part of everyone. With that logic, I walked into the room with as much confidence as I could muster and found an empty seat, as far from other people as possible. I saw the fuss people made over tributes, and I wanted no part of it.

"All right, new writers. Today, we're just covering the basics of writing. You shouldn't feel any shame if you don't know these things, even though I called them basic. By basic I mean relatively easy to learn, not logical," the Capitolite tutor began. Everyone in the class nodded, and I could feel myself nodding. "Okay then. First off, titles. Many people think that you need a title in order to start your story. That's wrong. It's often best to find your title at the end of your story. That way, you don't give up before you even start, and you can make a change of plans without having to change the title."

I nodded a bit more than I had at the last statement. I knew personally how hard it was to make a title. My book was about missing kids, so I wanted to do something mysterious, like _Missing,_ but that just sounded dumb and cheesy. I had spent plenty of angry days staring at my paper, willing a title to appear, before I figured out what had just been told to me.

"The second thing you have to know is characterizing properly. Most people write a main character that is themselves. There is nothing wrong with it, and I encourage it. That way, you know exactly what you're writing. Other characters should also usually be characters that you know personally. They can be based off of your friends or your family members, or even your enemies. Whatever works for you."

I wrote down everything the instructor said while she spoke, writing quickly, to make sure I didn't miss anything. I didn't want to miss out on hearing anything, either, but I figured I would have to sacrifice one for another. The Capitolite spoke more slowly when she noticed me trying frantically to write everything down, and I smiled at her. She was nice, which I didn't expect from a Capitolite. It was that, or she really wanted me to know what she was saying. That didn't make much sense, though. I likely wouldn't get to use the knowledge.

* * *

 **Rotor Aeolius Ypsilon (14) D5M**

"I bet you're wondering why I gathered you all here today," Kenzie said to all of us. We were sitting in her room, and she was fighting to keep a straight face. "I've always wanted to say that. Anyways, what say you we go explore the Games Building a bit? I found this awesome store the other day! Well, really, Doppler led me to it, but it was still an awesome store. And there must be so many more! There's everything."

I smiled at Kenzie, and Cell shook her head at me. We both knew good and well that spending the next couple of hours talking to random strangers that Kenzie forced us to meet was not my idea of a good time, even if Cell would only find it mildly upsetting. I waited patiently for Kenzie to finish speaking, then said, "Or we could stay in here and watch movies. Did you know they have food machines right in your room? We have everything we need."

Jeanie hadn't said a word during this exchange, and she didn't seem interested. Still, Cell turned to her. I supposed it made sense. We needed everyone to have a chance to speak up, or we wouldn't bond very well.

"What type of movie do you want?" Cell asked Jeanie.

"I don't really care what we want. What about you, Kenzie?" Jeanie said quietly.

"ACTIONNNNNNNNN!" Kenzie said, raising her voice a little. I smiled again. I didn't really care what type of movie we watched, so if Kenzie wanted action, she could probably have action.

"If anyone wants something other than action, speak now or forever hold your peace," Cell said. Nobody spoke up, so Kenzie started looking for movies on a fancy Capitol screen. She told the screen to look up action movies, and it did.

"Oooh, Steven Seagal! He's a cool dude. Why aren't there any superhero movies? You'd think the Capitol would want those. Captain Panem is boss. Oooh, Ukog: Evolution! I need to check that out. Does anyone mind if we watch an anime?" Kenzie said. I couldn't really tell how much she was speaking to herself and how much she was speaking to everyone else, but I didn't mind the movie, so I didn't say anything. I just got up and headed over to the food.

 _What food do you want?_ Snack. _What type of snack?_ Salty. _Single piece or multiple?_ Multiple. _Popcorn, crackers, or pretzels?_ Popcorn. _Kettle corn or popcorn?_ Popcorn. _Chocolate, raspberry, other fruit, mixed berry, vegetable, plain, salted, buttered, salted and buttered, or choose your own combo?_ Salted and buttered.

There were a lot of questions that I was asked before getting to popcorn, implying that there was a lot of food. Despite wanting to see all the combinations I had time, I sat down to watch the movie. Cell sat between Kenzie and Jeanie, forcing me not to sit beside her. She stuck her tongue out at me when I glared at her, and I sighed and sat beside Kenzie. Jeanie didn't seem to want me sitting by her.

Kenzie leaned in while the movie started, then seemed disappointed when it was live action. I whispered that everything would probably be fine, anyways. Capitol technology was super advanced, so anything that worked in cartoons would work in live action.

I was wrong.

* * *

 **Kenzie's hot clerk looks like Adrian Paul, but not way too old for her.**

 **Also, Ukog: Evolution is mocking Dragon Ball Evolution, just in case I wasn't blunt enough. I haven't seen the movie, but I go online enough to know that it's terrible.**


	26. 18 and 18

**Rodney "Rod" Sanchez (18) D6M**

Some people thought people could never change. Bad people would be bad forever, and good people would be good forever. I disagreed with that. I knew from personal experience that bad people could pick themselves back up. Since that argument dealt in absolutes, my switching from bad to good disproved it entirely. Despite my beliefs that people could change, I knew that there were some parts of people that would never change, no matter what happened. I figured that was why I found myself wandering to a hospital after the Training Centre closed.

I didn't know why there was a hospital in the Games Building. It wasn't the most logical place for one, unless the patients wanted a chance to meet the tributes. I hoped that was the case, and I asked a Capitolite nurse if I could talk with the patients.

"Why would you want to do that? Shouldn't you be off doing something important?'' the nurse asked me. I shook my head.

"To me, this is something important."

"Sure, I guess. They'll probably be happy to see a new face. Just, don't go into any rooms with closed doors. We can't have contamination in those rooms." I nodded. That made sense. I wouldn't want to accidentally kill someone.

I found myself wandering even inside the hospital, and I heard some crying. I started trying to find the cries, figuring I might be able to cheer the crier up. It sounded like a girl, and a young one. I figured she'd be even happier than the average Capitolite to meet a tribute, and I'd be happy to meet a reasonably pure Capitolite. Kids were pure.

When I turned a corner, I gasped involuntarily. I was looking at what looked like a girl, but even the Capitolite treatment didn't make her look like a normal human. She was sitting on the ground, looking down, but I could still see how messed up her face was. Her skin was patched with red, and it seemed completely missing in some places. She was touching her face and wincing when I walked in, and when I gasped, she looked up at me.

"Yeah, I know. I'm ugly. All the kids have been saying it," the girl said, obviously trying not to cry any more than she already had. I tried to think of a good response.

"You're not ugly. I just didn't expect to see a Capitolite that was so pretty. I'm not used to most of the looks here, so you were really nice to see," I said, kneeling down beside the girl. I was lying like a rug, but it was worth it.

"Really?" the girl asked me, her face lighting up. She smiled a bit, and I nodded.

"Yeah, hun. You're the prettiest girl I've ever seen."

* * *

 **Zeke Danbury (15) D12M**

After the Training Centre closed, I went to my room. Not more than a minute after that, Bellepheron was in my room with me. She came in without knocking, and sat down beside me. After thinking for a couple of seconds, she stood up and put her hands on her hips.

"You know what? You're coming to a restaurant with me. You should get up," Bellepheron said, waiting impatiently. I shrugged.

"I'd rather stay here. I hear there are food machines in the rooms. There are, right? You would know more than I would."

Bellepheron shrugged right back at me. "I guess. But you're eating a lot. Even Careers like to load up in the week before the Games, and they aren't complete sticks. What sort of food do you want?"

I didn't know how to answer that question. I wasn't used to being allowed to choose my own food. "I don't really know," I finally said. "Let's just look at the options, I guess."

Bellepheron nodded, then led me to the food machine. I tapped the screen and a bunch of food options popped up. I started reading through them, and Bellepheron explained each one to me.

"We want a meal, so I'll say that. Technically, you can press the buttons, but voice works too. Meal. Now, we can have breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Breakfast is light, and it can be things like eggs or pancakes. Lunch is a bit heavier, and it usually includes grains and meats. Then there's dinner. Dinner is the heaviest of the meals, and it lets you choose a protein, a grain, a fruit or vegetable, and a drink. Lunch and breakfast can come with drinks, too, but you have to specifically order them."

"Well, let's do dinner," I said, and I pressed that button. "Ooh, we should do large. What type of meat is venison? I'm choosing pork." I tried to make myself seem a bit more animated than I was about the food. I figured I was going to get a strip of pork and eat it to make my escort happy. Bellepheron smiled at me, watching me make all of my decisions, and then pushed a button so we got two meals.

"What the hey?!" I yelped as soon as the food popped up. First of all, it appeared out of thin air. Second, it was as much food for one meal as I ate in a week at home.

"What's the big deal? It's just a meal.'

"We never ate this much in one meal in Twelve. Even the mayor wouldn't eat this much in a meal. He might not eat this much in a day," I said, somewhat in awe at the food. "And it never tasted this good. I always got the burnt stuff."

"Well, that's just because some people are dumb," Bellepheron said, clearing showing that she knew good and well why I got the burnt stuff. Anything that was properly cooked was reserved for my dad. "But, here in the Capitol, we know how to eat. So stuff your face all you want. There's no limit on how much food a tribute can get."

* * *

 **RODNEY'S SUBMITTER: I paired Rod up with Zeke because I thought they worked well together. If you disapprove, drop me a review or PM.**

 **To everyone: This is my second chapter today. I'm impatient to get this story going.**

 **Also to everyone: I normally don't make up super cool names for alliances (this chapter title being proof). If you want to give me names I'll use them (if I like them), otherwise, ye get dumb names.**

 **Also also: You all should submit to Brilliancy: The 152nd Hunger Games by iridescenteverdeen. I've submitted a lot of peeps, so I want it to get going.**


	27. Homestuck

**Nepeta Shepherdson (13) D10F**

 _Fine._ "Fine" was an interesting word. People used it to agree to something, or to say that something was all right. People also used it to avoid confrontation, which was exactly what I was doing when I said fine to taking a swimming lesson. Going into a big section of just water with no idea what I was doing was not something that I was interested in, but Equius insisted that I should do it. _Fine._

According to dumb training rules, I had to change into a swimsuit. I didn't see what the big deal was, but I obliged, mostly because Equius wanted me to. _Fine._ I also couldn't just change in the middle of the training room, which I learned when I started changing and the Capitolite almost fainted. I had to change in a dressing room. _Fine._ I couldn't see the big deal that there was there. I would kill something in front of someone. Changing was no big deal. It wasn't like that Capitolite didn't match me anatomically.

Once I the changing fiasco was all solved out, I sat on the edge of the pool. I didn't want to go in. The water felt funny, and it was completely unnatural. I belonged in the trees, not in the water. I was like a lion. I could live my life perfectly fine on the land. Equius disagreed, though, and I was willing to take one for the team and try and make him happy. Thinking that he owed me one, I slowly eased myself into the water, starting on the shallow end and slowly walking to the point where only my head wasn't submerged.

 _It's now or never._ I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, then dropped underneath the water. I started with both feet still on the ground, just to see how long I could hold my breath and to get used to my head being underwater. I counted to twenty, then came back up for a fresh breath of air. That wouldn't teach me how to swim. It would just make me less uncomfortable in my attempts. After I caught my breath, I took another deep breath, and then kicked off the ground to push myself to a place where I wouldn't be able to stand back up to take a breath. I was going to learn how to swim.

I felt instant regret. I didn't know how to swim, and I couldn't stand up to get a breath of fresh air. I started thrashing around wildly, trying to remember any piece of advice I had ever heard. Slowly, I could feel myself sinking, despite the air in my lungs. I got an idea and breathed out, watching the bubbles go up just to do something. Then I sank to the bottom of the pool, my lungs screaming for new air, and kicked off the ground. I kicked towards the shallow end and came out above water, finally safe again. _That was not fine._

* * *

 **Equius Wang (14) D10M**

Training was important. I would have said that whether or not I had ever trained. Training was also fun. It was great to try and remember all of the facts that were thrown at me, and it was great to be encouraged to throw things of various degrees of pointiness at less pointy things. I wanted to stay in the Training Centre all day, but I couldn't. I had to let my body rest between sessions, and more importantly, it closed.

I was lucky going into the Games, due to the fact that I had an ally before anything started. I could do pretty much anything I wanted to do in the Capitol, and I would have a friend tagging along with me. I agreed with Nepeta that some days we would do what I wanted and some days I would do what she wanted, despite knowing that she was probably going to make me do dumb things, like painting. I could deal with it in order to enjoy the great things.

"I was thinking we should get some food before we goof off. We both had an exciting day, and we both burned a lot of calories," I said to Nepeta while we walked.

"I don't care. It's your day to decide," Nepeta replied, shrugging a bit.

"Then food it is! And I already know where we're going," I said, dragging Nepeta with me to an ice cream shop. I could tell it was a fancy ice cream shop, because the sign said "Shoppe" and not "Shop." "We're gonna throw up if we do anything exciting, but we're going to have fun!"

The ice cream shop was full of ice cream. I knew to expect ice cream, but I couldn't expect this much. The entire wall behind the cashier was covered with different flavors of ice cream. The counter was full of toppings. Nepeta smiled when she saw all of the options, and I had to grin right along with her. We could do anything we wanted here, and we were going to get ice cream.

Both of us had to look at the flavors for a while before we chose what we wanted. I ordered first, because I made my decision quicker than Nepeta. "Hey! Can I get one of those fancy tube cups that looks like a lily? With three scoops of ice cream?" The cashier nodded. "Great! I want mochi, bubblegum, and omelette du fromage. Can I get toppings, too?" The casher nodded again. "Great! Can I have whipped crème, hundreds and thousands, and gummy bears, please?" The cashier smiled at me and started dishing me up. I had no idea what a lot of the things I ordered were, but they sounded fancy.

"All right. Can I get one of those fancy cups, too? I'd like Gone Fishin', gingerbread, and mocha ice cream, please. And for toppings I would like whipped crème, hundreds and thousands, Snickers, and gummy bears, please," Nepeta said, smiling back at the cashier while her ice cream was scooped.

"This is... interesting." As it turned out, whipped crème was whipped cream, and hundreds and thousands were just sprinkles. I was excited to have both of those on my ice cream, especially in the great quantities they were in, but I was not excited about my weird yellow ice cream. The mochi and bubblegum were brown and pink, which I was fine with, but the omelette du fromage was yellow. I took a bite out of it and immediately spat it onto my napkin. "It tastes like cheese!"

The cashier laughed at me and said, "Omelette du fromage means cheese omelet!"

Nepeta laughed at me, then started eating her ice cream. "Ew! Mocha tastes like dirt!"

That made it my chance to laugh at Nepeta. "A mocha is a coffee!" Nepeta wrinkled up her nose, and both of us scraped the top scoop out of our cups. I cautiously took a bite of my bubblegum and found that it tasted fine, and mochi was just really weird chocolate. "At least the other two are normal."

"Yeah. Gingerbread tastes a bit weird, but Gone Fishin' is just chocolate and caramel, so I like it."

"Then I would call today a success!"

* * *

 **Can confirm, hundreds and thousands means sprinkles. Also, if you don't know what Gone Fishin' ice cream is, it's cool chocolate ice cream with caramel swirls and chocolate "fish." It's delicious, and definitely worth finding!**

 **Note: I updated twice yesterday, but only one notification probably went out D:**


	28. Loners

**Note: I have the full intentions of updating twice today (as in, the next chapter is already mostly done). If you don't get two notices, that doesn't mean I haven't updated, so please check for another chapter!**

* * *

 **Noil Kimball (16) D8M**

 _Weapons. Weapons are good you need to be safe you need to know how to fight. Simple, simple. You can only learn so much in one week. Survival. Survival is good you need to be safe you need to not just up and die no point in fighting if you can't live. Simple. Simple survival. Simple weapons. Focus on the basics focus on the necessities you don't need the rest you can't learn the rest never learn it never work._ If there was ever a reasonable situation to freak out in, I had walked straight into it. If there was ever a bad time to freak out, I had walked into it. I was failing already, and I knew it.

"Noil. Noil, you need to calm down," Ember was saying to me. I was trying to take her advice, but I was already breathing fast, and my thoughts were already scattered. I wouldn't be able to get thinking clearly anytime soon. All I could do was damage control.

"I know. Nothing good comes from freaking out," I replied, carefully measuring my voice. I didn't want my voice to shake. That could freak me out and make me realize my worry enough to worry me even more.

"Okay. We're going to need to discuss a strategy for you. Do you think you can handle this?" I nodded. I hated Ember's voice. It was slow and calm, perfectly condescending. I knew Ember was trying her best, but it was still annoying.

"I'll be fine. Having a plan should calm me down a bit."

"All right. We need to know what you're good at. Do you think you can handle learning a weapon?"

"I want to learn a basic weapon, like a knife. That was I should be able to kill or injure someone, but I should be able to learn it."

"Okay. You definitely won't get perfect at any weapon in a week. That being said, you should try and avoid confrontation, but if someone attacks you, don't turn your back. Strike first, strike hard, and remember that there's no such thing as a dirty fight. Feel free to go for the eyes or hit below the belt. Hit your opponent while they're down. Make sure your opponent isn't going to get back up again."

"Of course. If they get back up, I'm going to die."

* * *

 **Culic Norph (17) D9M**

Training stank. It was annoying having to spend that much time in a room with twenty-four other people, doing dumb things that I already knew how to do. It wasn't like I needed to train in anything. I just wanted to keep up appearances, and I wanted to intimidate other people. That was just the metaphorical stink, though. The training room actually did smell, because a lot of tributes were working out in last-ditch attempts to get fit before they entered the Arena.

As soon as the Training Centre was closed, and I could leave without losing face, I was out of there. I didn't want to be in that nasty, stinky room any longer than I had to. As a matter of fact, I wanted to wash all of my stink off of me. It was disgusting having the scent of others on my clothing, and having the little bits of dirt I had picked up in my training on my shirt. That wasn't how I was supposed to be. I was supposed to be pristine.

I walked into my room and went into the bathroom, tossing my ring on the counter. If I wore it in the shower, it could get ruined, and that diamond ring was worth a kidney. Then I turned on the shower and stripped down, amazed that the water was warm as soon as I was ready. I wasn't used to water heaters working quickly. I showered slowly, playing with the water's temperature and the various scents it had, and then stepped out, content with my scent.

Using a fancy Capitolite dryer, I was dried from my shower almost instantly. I put new clothes on, freshly washed ones, and looked for my ring. I didn't see it on the counter during my first glance, so I looked a bit more closely, and then a bit more closely. I scoured the entire counter and then looked in the sink the counter surrounded. I noticed my ring dangling by the drain and reached in to grab it. The ring fell in before I could. _That was worth a kidney._

* * *

 **Avena Ceres (15) D9F**

Training was officially done for the day. I was all right with that. Officially and actually were two very different things. I was reading up on logic and philosophy, trying to cram in a bit of information before the Games. Properly using logic could save my life in the Games, and I needed something to do. Sitting around like a lump wouldn't help me at all. I sat in a café and drank a smoothie while I read, but I wasn't sitting around like a lump. I was educating myself.

"Hey! You're Avena! You're about my age, right? What are you reading?" I looked up from my book to see who was talking to me. It was the Six child, Kenzie. I wasn't interested in a conversation with her, but she didn't seem like she was giving me the option.

" _The Critique of Pure Reason._ It's a good book," I replied, looking back down to continue reading. I hoped my body language would get my point across.

"Oooh, what's that about?" Kenzie asked me, sitting down beside me and reading over my shoulder.

"It's about logic. And thinking. You probably wouldn't be able to understand it."

"That sounds boring. What's the point of reading if it's boring? I like comic books."

"Well, seeing as I am not uncultured swine, I understand the purpose of philosophy. It is not "boring," as you so eloquently put it. It is a chance to learn how to live and how to work towards a purpose above living." I switched my voice tone to a harsher one, considering that Kenzie wasn't the brightest bulb.

"Hm. That makes enough sense. Is there ever any action or anything?"

"There is no action. There never will be any action. This is not an action book, it is a learning book. This is a book for smart people, which probably explains why you aren't interested in it. Could you please leave now and allow me to increase my chances at winning, instead of forcing me to make useless small talk with another soon-to-be corpse?" I raised my voice slightly while I spoke. Kenzie was making it clear that I would have to be painfully blunt, or what I was saying would never get through her thick skull.

"Oh. Oh, all right. I can leave, I guess." Kenzie got up while she spoke, tears pooling in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you." Tears started rolling down her cheeks while she spoke, but she walked away before many could flow. I felt bad for making her cry, but I had to learn.

* * *

 **Scorpia Alden (17) D12F**

Bellepheron showed a lot of interest in me. That made me happy, because I wanted someone to talk to. I wasn't going to pour out my life's story to someone who was thinking about their own problems, but if Bellepheron was going to continuously prompt me, I was happy to oblige. I didn't have to feel bad when I talked to her, because she told me herself she never had many problems, and because I was going through something huge while I spoke to her. She was probably only going to have to deal with me for a week, and I could live with that.

"I was pretty good at school, back in Twelve. Zeke never was in school, that I can remember. Then again, he would have been grades below me. At least one, but probably two or three. He had bigger worries than I ever did. My life was always great. Shouldn't you be focusing more on him than on me?" I said, glancing over at Bellepheron. I was lying on the ground with my head beside my escort's, but with my feet pointing the opposite direction of hers. It was a good position for talking in.

"No. I talked with him yesterday. We ate and we talked together. He told me all about his abusive dad, which was almost more than my heart could take. I'm glad you think I'm going to hear about small problems, because I need something light." Bellepheron smiled at me when she was done speaking. "So, why did you focus so much on school? Most kids have hobbies and stuff. Sports, or a job."

"Because my dad needed me to. I used to be a B student, but then my dad got depression. I just know it was because I was disappointing him, even if my mom says it wasn't. So now I'm an A student. My dad hasn't quite gotten better yet, but he's going to. I'm in the top of my class now. He has to be proud of me."

"You know, hun, I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that's not how depression works. It just... happens. Something terrible can trigger it, but it has to be really terrible, like your wife committing suicide. Random example there, I have no experience with this. Obviously. Anyways, I used to know plenty of people with terrible grades - I mean D's and F's - and still, their parents were normal adults."

"I caused it, and getting good grades will fix it," I said, entirely certain that I was right. Bellepheron was right. She wasn't an expert.

"That isn't logical. If no depression other than your father's has been caused by a child getting B's, then your father's wasn't caused from you getting B's. That's simply not logic. I have a bit more experience with using logic than you do, you know." Bellepheron was clearly wrong, but I knew she wasn't lying. She was just wrong.

"There's a first time for everything. If I win these Games, my dad will get better."

"Hun, I'm trying to tell you, this isn't how depression works. If you win the Games, your dad will still be depressed. As a person, you can not fix this." Bellepheron's voice was becoming more stern. "There is no fixing depression individually. There is no fixing depression. Unless your dad is trying to get better and you have Capitol psychiatrists, there is nothing you can do."

"Yes there is! There is always something I can do! If I win the Games my dad is going to get better." My voice was rising, and I could feel hot tears rolling down my cheeks. Bellepheron didn't know what she was talking about. My dad was going to get better.

I felt myself being propped up by Bellepheron, and then I felt myself being hugged. I didn't hug Bellepheron back. I didn't have the energy to do that when I was already busy crying. Bellepheron hugged me tighter, seemingly trying to make up for me not hugging her. She played with my hair a little and rocked back and forth. "I know, hun. It's hard. But you have to be strong for you. Winning will help your dad, just for a different reason." I knew Bellepheron was right. Winning would help my dad because dying would hurt him. I couldn't be certain that winning would help him because it would make him proud.

* * *

 **I did the math, and in order for a diamond ring to be worth a kidney, it would have to be about 52 karats, and that's if it's a high-quality diamond.**


	29. Private Session Report

**TOP SECRET**

 **TO MS. PRESIDENT VISPASIAN GINGER**

 **FROM HEAD GAMEMAKER DRACO STILETTO**

 **PRIVATE SESSION REPORT**

 **GAMES: 20TH (RUNNING MAN SPIN-OFF)**

 **TRIBUTES:**

* * *

 **DISTRICT ONE MALE**

 **NAME:** Jack Xhaca

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Bow and arrow, Sword

 **ASSESSMENT:** Jack excelled at the bow and arrow, as is to be expected. The majority of his shots were bulls-eyes, and every one of his shots hit the target. Jack chose a medium-high level sparring partner to show his sword abilities. He beat the trainer with little difficulty. After this, he took of his shirt and bowed.

 **STRENGTHS:** Bow and arrow, sword, confident

 **WEAKNESSES:** Weak for a Career, confidence can lead to arrogance, less intent than most Career

 **POPULARITY:** 8/10. Jack is popular just because he is a Career, but he has left less of an impression than some tributes.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Jack has no mental disorders that we have measured.

 **ODDS:** 8:1

 **SCORE:** 10

 **NOTES:** But why the bow? Being fancy doesn't win the Games.

* * *

 **DISTRICT ONE FEMALE**

 **NAME:** Tourmaline Addels

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Bow and arrow, dagger, fire-making

 **ASSESSMENT:** Tourmaline was good at using a bow and arrow. She only shot six arrows, but all of them hit the target, on or near the bulls-eye. Tourmaline chose a medium-high level trainer to spar with the dagger. She beat him with reasonable difficulty. Tourmaline's fire-making was rushed by lack of time, so her fire was imperfect. This will be considered in calculating her score.

 **STRENGTHS:** Already known in Capitol, bow and arrow, dagger

 **WEAKNESSES:** Hunter has a vendetta against her, Capitol currently dislikes her, not completely mentally stable

 **POPULARITY:** Currently 3/10. People appreciate her looks but dislike her reputation. When Tourmaline heard that popularity would be gauged, she said that she expected to get more popular soon. We expect she will be able to raise this at most to a six.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Tourmaline is currently sane. The Games could push her out of this.

 **ODDS:** 8:1

 **SCORE:** 10

 **NOTES:** Hun, I hope you can get over Vibrant. You could do better.

* * *

 **DISTRICT TWO MALE**

 **NAME:** Wolf Krieg

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Sword

 **ASSESSMENT:** Wolf requested a low-high level trainer. He defeated him with minimal difficulty, then switched to a medium-high level trainer. In his tired-out state, Wolf beat the trainer with considerably more difficulty. Tiredness must be gauged in scoring.

 **STRENGTHS:** Sword, determined, District sweet-heart

 **WEAKNESSES:** Honorable, unconfident, some issues with reflexes

 **POPULARITY:** 7/10. Wolf has not left much of a mark on the Capitol, but he is clearly a big deal in his District.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Nothing of notice is wrong with Wolf.

 **ODDS:** 10:1

 **SCORE:** 9

 **NOTES:** But sword-fighting alone doesn't win the Games

* * *

 **DISTRICT TWO FEMALE**

 **NAME:** Valerie Cartwright

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Chain whip

 **ASSESSMENT:** Valerie walked in, entirely confidently, and requested a high-high level trainer. She held her own against the trainer for all five minutes. Neither opponent came out on top. Valerie seemed slightly more tired than her opponent.

 **STRENGTHS:** Chain whip, reasonably endurant, Career

 **WEAKNESSES:** Not that endurant, bad history, little survival skills

 **POPULARITY:** 6/10. Valerie is popular for being a Career, but she is not popular for a Career.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Valerie shows some emotional damage from an abusive aunt. It does not seem to be highly hazardous.

 **ODDS:** 10:1

 **SCORE:** 9

 **NOTES:** Gosh girl, you've got a lot of bruises. Why didn't you fight your aunt?

* * *

 **DISTRICT THREE MALE**

 **NAME:** Lumen Hal

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Trap-making

 **ASSESSMENT:** Lumen's confidence and deftness made it clear that he knew what he was doing with his traps. It seemed that the stress of performing while being judged made him mess up, and he was unable to make a good trap. His trap worked, but not completely efficiently.

 **STRENGTHS:** Able to make traps, could easily slip into the background, loyal ally

 **WEAKNESSES:** Cracks under pressure, will slip into the background, not good with weapons

 **POPULARITY:** 4/10. No one seems to like or dislike Lumen. This could play to his advantage.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Lumen seems to have no mental issues.

 **ODDS:** 20:1

 **SCORE:** 5

 **NOTES:** Lumen's glasses will likely have to be confiscated before his Games. Will contacts be needed, or would that be considered a disadvantage (the boy is not used to them)?

* * *

 **DISTRICT THREE FEMALE**

 **NAME:** Scorcha Bellamy

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Wit, general survival

 **ASSESSMENT:** Scorcha had a good amount of wit. She showed off her knowledge of previous Games, seemingly to point out how good she is at memorizing things. She knew as much or more about previous Games as other Gamemakers did, though I knew more. Scorcha knew many trivial things about survival.

 **STRENGTHS:** Good memory, logical, survival skills

 **WEAKNESSES:** Only knows trivial stuff, no weapons knowledge, like three feet tall

 **POPULARITY:** 5/10. Bits and pieces of Scorcha have impressed the Capitol, but she mostly fades into the background.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Scorcha is smart. She is not insane.

 **ODDS:** 10:1

 **SCORE:** 9

 **NOTES:** But why are you three feet tall?

* * *

 **DISTRICT FOUR MALE**

 **NAME:** Mahi Katao

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Wrestling

 **ASSESSMENT:** Mahi requested someone that would be fun to wrestle with. We gave him a low-high partner, assuming that he would enjoy this. Mahi mainly goofed off with the partner, but due to his size, Mahi reasonably easily took him down. Mahi pinned the partner, and we are unsure if the assistant was able to breathe.

 **STRENGTHS:** Confident, light-hearted, wrestling

 **WEAKNESSES:** Light-hearted, lack of survival skills, non-willing Career

 **POPULARITY:** 9/10. Mahi has made a splash in the Capitol for his large personality and for seeming to want nothing but fun.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Mahi seems completely sane.

 **ODDS:** 12:1

 **SCORE:** 8

 **NOTES:** Those _were_ some very nice tattoos, but your focus should have been your opponent.

* * *

 **DISTRICT FOUR FEMALE**

 **NAME:** Halona Remus

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Swords, hand-to-hand

 **ASSESSMENT:** Halona asked for a medium-high level sword partner. She beat her opponent in four minutes, sloppily but not extremely so. With her spare minute, Halona requested a high-low level partner. She took her partner out with no time to spare. It was clear she could have handled someone better if she had the time.

 **STRENGTHS:** Hand-to-hand, swords, Career

 **WEAKNESSES:** Slightly overweight, not getting notice, no Careers seem to have survival knowledge

 **POPULARITY:** 5/10. Halona is popular as a Career, but she does not stick out.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Halona seems to be completely normal, except she is mildly upset when talking about her mother.

 **ODDS:** 14:1

 **SCORE:** 7

 **NOTES:** I thoughts Careers had to be one-hundred percent fit? A muffin-top is nothing, but still!

* * *

 **DISTRICT FIVE MALE**

 **NAME:** Rotor some-fancy-middle-name Ypsilon

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Basic first-aid, camouflage

 **ASSESSMENT:** Rotor knew what he was doing with his basic first-aid. He decently showed how to handle burns, and he knew how to make a makeshift bandage and use basic disinfectants. Rotor's camouflage was detailed, which could be good or bad, but he did not make a real landscape. He painted a flock of birds in the sea flying around various abstract shapes. It was impressive.

 **STRENGTHS:** Basic first-aid, detailed camouflage, strong alliance

 **WEAKNESSES:** No survival skills, not very popular, alliance will likely be found early on

 **POPULARITY:** 6/10. Rotor himself is not very popular, but his alliance has earned him some popularity.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Rotor is completely sane.

 **ODDS:** 24:1

 **SCORE:** 4

 **NOTES:** Do you want to show camouflage or not show it?

* * *

 **DISTRICT FIVE FEMALE**

 **NAME:** Nacelle Hall (?) Aeolius

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Knives (Melee and throwing), edible plants

 **ASSESSMENT:** Nacelle threw knives. She had a reasonable amount of accuracy, for someone who has only trained for a week. Nacelle also stabbed things. She did not focus on vitals. Nacelle seemed to know her plants reasonably well. She erred on the side of caution, choosing to avoid certain edible plants rather than accidentally choose inedible ones.

 **STRENGTHS:** Edible plants, knives, strong alliance

 **WEAKNESSES:** Other weapons, weak, spitfire

 **POPULARITY:** 6/10. Nacelle is slightly more popular than Rotor, but not strongly notably.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Nacelle is completely sane.

 **ODDS:** 24:1

 **SCORE:** 4

 **NOTES:** What is it with Five and really weird names? Why is your last name more vowel than consonant?

* * *

 **DISTRICT SIX MALE**

 **NAME:** Rodney Sanchez

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Knives (throwing)

 **ASSESSMENT:** Rodney was good at throwing knives. His knives generally hit the target, generally reasonably near the center.

 **STRENGTHS:** Rodney has been through a lot, making him endurant mentally. Used to slight pangs Arena might cause. Knives.

 **WEAKNESSES:** Compassionate, possibly unstable, survival

 **POPULARITY:** 8/10. Rodney has made a splash in the Capitol.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Rodney used to be addicted to drugs. He seems stable now, but a relapse could be possible if supplies are ever given.

 **ODDS:** 16:1

 **SCORE:** 6

 **NOTES:** Good job, boy. Drugs are hard.

* * *

 **DISTRICT SIX FEMALE**

 **NAME:** Kenzie O'Donell

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Throwing stars

 **ASSESSMENT:** Kenzie could definitely throw stars. She hit the target most of the time, reasonably near the center a good chunk of the time. The throwing stars usually made it into the target, though a couple bounced off.

 **STRENGTHS:** Throwing stars, high morale, extremely popular

 **WEAKNESSES:** Throwing stars are mostly useless, survival, knows almost nothing about Games

 **POPULARITY:** 10/10. I have been saving this 10/10 for Kenzie, so I could make sure to point out just how popular Kenzie truly is. She is a meme in the Capitol. Everyone recognizes her face. Children are already dressing up like her. Kenzie is almost as famous as Rybbon Marbroox.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** According to the doctors Kenzie is entirely sane, but she likes anime, so she must not be entirely right in the head.

 **ODDS:** 14:1 (adjusted for likely sponsoring)

 **SCORE:** 7

 **NOTES:** Seriously? Anime? That stuff stinks. And how did you get a Ategev costume this quickly?

* * *

 **DISTRICT SEVEN MALE**

 **NAME:** Sparrow McKrail

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Axe

 **ASSESSMENT:** Sparrow was decent at his axe. What he lacked in accuracy he made up for in eagerness. He flew at the dummy. Occasionally his ax got stuck in the dummy, which could be fatal in a fight.

 **STRENGTHS:** Decent alliance, ax, we assume he knows plants (he's from Seven and we're supposed to list three)

 **WEAKNESSES:** Extremely clingy, no certain plant knowledge, not good at the ax

 **POPULARITY:** 4/10. Nobody really likes or dislikes Sparrow.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Sparrow was unwanted in his District by his parents, then his step-parents. This has left him extremely clingy.

 **ODDS:** 24:1

 **SCORE:** 4

 **NOTES:** You know your ally has to leave you, right?

* * *

 **DISTRICT SEVEN FEMALE**

 **NAME:** Ashley Cavanough

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Traps, axes (throwing)

 **ASSESSMENT:** Ashley's trap was moderately affective, more so than Lumen's. This was overshadowed by her ax-throwing. All of Ashley's axes hit the target, and most of them hit in the inner ring or the bulls-eye.

 **STRENGTHS:** Axes, traps, strong alliance

 **WEAKNESSES:** Not popular, no plant knowledge, over-anxious (comparatively)

 **POPULARITY:** 6/10. Ashley herself is not very popular, but some of Kenzie's popularity rubs off on her.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Ashley is completely sane.

 **ODDS:** 14:1

 **SCORE:** 7

 **NOTES:** At least you don't like anime.

* * *

 **DISTRICT EIGHT MALE**

 **NAME:** Noil Kimball

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Awls, camouflage

 **ASSESSMENT:** Noil was decent with his awls. He asked for a high-low level sparring partner, and he took him down with average difficulty. Noil's camouflage skills were impressive, and reasonably realistic, but less detailed than some.

 **STRENGTHS:** Awls, camouflage, not likely to be targeted

 **WEAKNESSES:** Survival, panic attacks, not likely to be sponsored

 **POPULARITY:** 4/10. Noil is mostly neutral in the Capitol's eyes.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Noil has an anxiety disorder. We have not been able to place it, but a panic attack could be fatal in the Games.

 **ODDS:** 18:1

 **SCORE:** 6

 **NOTES:** Take a chill pill

* * *

 **DISTRICT EIGHT FEMALE**

 **NAME:** Jeanette Umbry

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Agility, fire-making

 **ASSESSMENT:** Jeanette's agility was impressive for a thirteen-year-old. She could do basic flips and impressive stretches. Jeanette made a fire, but it took her multiple attempts. It was a small fire.

 **STRENGTHS:** Fire-making, agility, strong alliance

 **WEAKNESSES:** Weak fire-making, allies are stronger than she is, no food knowledge

 **POPULARITY:** 5/10. Jeanette's popularity comes solely from Kenzie.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** She is thirteen and not poor. She's clean.

 **ODDS:** 14;1

 **SCORE:** 7

 **NOTES:** You can't fight, but you can definitely do a backflip.

* * *

 **DISTRICT NINE MALE**

 **NAME:** Culic Norph

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Nothing

 **ASSESSMENT:** This was not an impressive or an impressive nothing. It was just nothing.

 **STRENGTHS:** We see none. He is useless, as far as we can tell.

 **WEAKNESSES:** Everything. This man is an overconfident snob.

 **POPULARITY:** Is it possible to make it negative? 0/10. Culic has been nothing but rude to Capitolites and tributes. No one likes him, and most dislike him.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** I don't see any mental disorders. He's just a snob.

 **ODDS:** 300:1 (I wish I could make this worse without getting yelled at)

 **SCORE:** 1

 **NOTES:** At least Tarabel had a reason to be confident

* * *

 **DISTRICT NINE FEMALE**

 **NAME:** Avena Ceres

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Bow and arrow

 **ASSESSMENT:** Avena was decent with her bow and arrow. At close range for a bow and arrow she always hit the dummy, usually in vitals. At far range she usually hit the dummy, generally near vitals.

 **STRENGTHS:** Bow and arrow, confidence, mental strength

 **WEAKNESSES:** A lot of tributes are using bow and arrow, arrogance, no survival skills

 **POPULARITY:** 3/10. A rumor is going around that Avena made Kenzie cry. This has made her popularity drop considerably.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Avena seems mostly sane.

 **ODDS:** 14:1

 **SCORE:** 7

 **NOTES:** Why would you be rude to the biggest celebrity this year? I should have added idiot to your weaknesses.

* * *

 **DISTRICT TEN MALE**

 **NAME:** Equius Wang

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Strength

 **ASSESSMENT:** Strength is not an official skill, but Equius had it. He punched a bunch of stuff randomly, and destroyed a reasonable amount equipment. He will be expected to replace it if he wins.

 **S** **TRENGTHS:** Strong, energetic, eager

 **WEAKNESSES:** Possibly insane, overeager, annoying

 **POPULARITY:** 5/10. Equius is mostly neutral, but some people like his ally.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Equius has clear anger issues. This will likely not strongly effect him in the Games.

 **ODDS:** 28:1

 **SCORE:** 3

 **NOTES:** Screw you, bub. That was expensive.

* * *

 **DISTRICT TEN FEMALE**

 **NAME:** Nepeta Shepherdson

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Edible plants, being weird

 **ASSESSMENT:** Nepeta was decent at edible plants. She chose a few inedible ones, but only the mildly poisonous ones. After taking the test, Nepeta stalked around like a cat. She definitely was quiet. She wore wolverine claws and slashed some thing while she did that.

 **STRENGTHS:** Quiet, edible plants, slashing things

 **WEAKNESSES:** Possibly bad choice of ally, wolverine claws aren't all that great, young

 **POPULARITY:** 6/10. A handful of people are interested in her.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** We cannot decide exactly what is wrong with Nepeta. She seems to be feral.

 **ODDS:** 48:1

 **SCORE:** 2

 **NOTES:** The heck did I just see?

* * *

 **DISTRICT ELEVEN MALE**

 **NAME:** Darren Peachay

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Being really deep for a thirteen-year-old

 **ASSESSMENT:** Darren talked about existence, questioning ours and discussing higher beings. I am ashamed to admit that it was very confusing.

 **STRENGTHS:** Strong mind, strong alliance, innocent

 **WEAKNESSES:** Possibly insane, strong alliance, useless

 **POPULARITY:** 7/10. Many people like Darren because he's cute and fun.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** We have found nothing, but he doesn't seem quite right.

 **ODDS:** 52:1

 **SCORE:** 1

 **NOTES:** "I think, therefore I am."

* * *

 **DISTRICT ELEVEN FEMALE**

 **NAME:** Sarah Lilac

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Blow-gun, poison.

 **ASSESSMENT:** Sarah was above average at the blowgun. She always hit the dummy, which is rather impressive, even though she generally didn't hit vitals. Sarah made a low-level poison and applied it to the dart properly.

 **STRENGTHS:** Poison, blow-guns, strong alliance

 **WEAKNESSES:** Could poison herself, blow-guns are uncommon, selfless

 **POPULARITY:** 7/10. Sarah's alliance and her niceness to everyone have gained her some popularity.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Sarah seems clean.

 **ODDS:** 18:1

 **SCORE:** 6

 **NOTES:** Yep, that's poison.

* * *

 **DISTRICT TWELVE MALE**

 **NAME:** Zeke Danbury

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Edible plants, club

 **ASSESSMENT:** Zeke was decent at edible plants. He chose one that was deadly, but it was a rare one, and not one we intend to have in our Arena. Zeke's clubbing skills were unorganized, but he was energetic at his attempts, and he would have damaged most people.

 **STRENGTHS:** Edible plants (mostly), Club, strong ally

 **WEAKNESSES:** Psychological damage, physical damage, plants

 **POPULARITY:** 6/10. Zeke is not popular on his own, but Rodney's popularity has given him some.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Zeke was abused physically and emotionally in his District. He seems to have recovered mostly.

 **ODDS:** 18:1

 **SCORE:** 6

 **NOTES:** You need drugs to get better; your ally needs to avoid drugs.

* * *

 **DISTRICT TWELVE FEMALE**

 **NAME:** Scorpia Alden **  
**

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Throwing knives

 **ASSESSMENT:** While Scorpia could definitely throw knives, she did not throw them well. She hit the target six times out of ten, and acquired exactly zero bulls-eyes. **  
**

 **STRENGTHS:** Knives are intimidating, could damage someone, very smart **  
**

 **WEAKNESSES:** Definitely won't kill anyone, liable to put way to much strain on herself, liable to lapse into insanity **  
**

 **POPULARITY:** 5/10. Scorpia has about as much popularity as a tribute should expect. **  
**

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Scorpia herself is mostly sane. Her father has depression, which has messed her up a little.

 **ODDS:** 14:1 **  
**

 **SCORE:** 6 **  
**

 **NOTES:** It's not your fault, hon.

* * *

 **END TRIBUTES**

* * *

 **BEGIN HUNTERS**

* * *

 **NAME:** Clariselle Van Doom (aka "Doom Doom")

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Bombs

 **ASSESSMENT:** Clariselle did not attempt to make a bomb. Instead, she brought up past bombs and models of current bombs, explaining exactly what each one did, down to how much force each one created.

 **STRENGTHS:** Clariselle will have weapons provided for her, she knows what to do with bombs, Clariselle cannot be hunted

 **WEAKNESSES:** Clariselle is cocky, we Gamemakers don't like her, likely to destroy our property

 **POPULARITY:** 0/0. We could not assess. She has not told anyone she is a Hunter.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Clariselle does not have anything listed about her. We assume she could be a psychopath, but she passed all tests.

 **NOTES:** You're really not _that_ hot

* * *

 **NAME:** Faye Quaritch

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Dual swords

 **ASSESSMENT:** Faye was proficient with her dual swords. She took down our six medium and low-level assistants with ease, and beat our low-high level assistant despite her tired state.

 **STRENGTHS:** (Comparatively) level-headed, dual swords, cannot be hunted

 **WEAKNESSES:** No popularity, no shown survival knowledge (Will we support her?), shows no defensive qualities. Constantly maintained offense.

 **POPULARITY:** 0/0. Unmeasurable.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Faye is definitely a sadist. Possibly a sociopath.

 **NOTES:** She can die in-Games, right? She just can't be hunted?

* * *

 **NAME:** Vibrant Gellert

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Weird glitter thing

 **ASSESSMENT:** Vibrant greatly enjoyed showing us his glitter. He covered our training room in the stuff, careful not to get any on himself, then asked for an assistant. Vibrant applied a small amount of glitter to the assistant's skin, and the assistant immediately started freaking out and trying to peel it off.

 **STRENGTHS:** Popular (currently), glitter bombs, cannot be hunted

 **WEAKNESSES:** Likely to drop in popularity (see popularity), weird, liable to go to great risks to kill Tourmaline

 **POPULARITY:** Currently 8/10. Tourmaline said that if her popularity rises, his will drop.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Vibrant has proven himself sane.

 **NOTES:** But what do you have against her?

* * *

 **NAME:** Icykill (I think?)

 **SKILLS DEMONSTRATED:** Balance, I suppose

 **ASSESSMENT:** Icy walked into the still-glitter-covered room and commented that leaving the room in that state "Wasn't ice." He then covered it in ice, saying that would make it "An icer place to stay." Once that was done, he skated around on the rink, and was quite impressive.

 **STRENGTHS:** Really bad puns, balance, cannot be hunted

 **WEAKNESSES:** What's the point, people should kill you for those puns, seems pretty dumb

 **POPULARITY:** 7/10. Icy has talked about being a Hunter, which has gained him some popularity, but most tributes could outshine him if they tried.

 **PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE:** Clean (Well that's weird)

 **NOTES:** I feel I should point out that Hunters were not warned they would have sessions. They may have been more prepared otherwise.

* * *

 **END SESSION REPORT**

* * *

 **TOP PRIORITY**

* * *

 **STILL TOP SECRET**


	30. Score Reveal

**This chapter is short, but it's just simple reactions. I might update again today, or I might not. We should only have the interviews, into the tubes, and countdown before the Bloodbath!  
Note: I didn't format the names normally because this chapter is so basic. It seemed pointless.**

* * *

 **JACK XHACA:** 10

 **TOURMALINE ADDELLS:** 10

 **WOLF KRIEG:** 9

 **VALERIE CARTWRIGHT:** 9

 **LUMEN HAL:** 5

 **SCORCHA BELLAMY:** 9

 **MAHI KATAO:** 8

 **HALONA REMUS:** 7

 **ROTOR YPSILON:** 4

 **NACELLE AEOLIUS:** 4

 **RODNEY SANCHEZ:** 6

 **KENZIE O'DONNELL:** 7

 **SPARROW MCKRAIL:** 4

 **ASHLEY CAVANOUGH:** 7

 **NOIL KIMBALL:** 6

 **JEANETTE UMBRY:** 7

 **CULIC NORPH:** 1

 **AVENA CERES:** 7

 **EQUIUS WANG:** 3

 **NEPETA SHEPHERDSON:** 2

 **DARREN PECHAY:** 1

 **SARAH LILAC:** 6

 **ZEKE DANBURY:** 6

 **SCORPIA ALDEN:** 6

* * *

 **Jack Xhaca**

 _I tied for first? How did that happen?_

* * *

 **Tourmaline Addells**

 _Ha. Even they had to admit that I was one of the best. Screw you, Vibrant._

* * *

 **Wolf Krieg**

 _I didn't do as well as the others. I'm a failure to my family._

* * *

 **Valerie Cartwright**

 _A nine is commendable. Wolf is probably proud._

* * *

 **Lumen Hal**

 _How did I manage to do that much worse than my District partner?_

* * *

 **Scorcha Bellamy**

 _I did_ that _well? I thought I was average._

* * *

 **Mahi Katao**

 _An eight is great. Especially since I was just having fun the entire time._

* * *

 **Halona Remus**

 _I did the worst of the Careers. My mom must be ashamed. She can deal with it._

* * *

 **Rotor Ypsilon**

 _Hah, Nacelle and I tied. What are the odds? Pretty low, come to think of it._

* * *

 **Nacelle Aeolius**

 _Oh gosh. I was so bad at knives that camouflage tied me._

* * *

 **Rodney Sanchez**

 _There is no way you are worse than Kenzie. You cannot be worse than Kenzie._

* * *

 **Kenzie O'Donell**

 _How the heck did that happen? Rodney is way bigger and stronger than I am._

* * *

 **Sparrow McKrail**

 _I'm one of the worst. Lumen did better than I did. He's going to want to leave me because of that._

* * *

 **Ashley Cavanough**

 _Trust Darren to drag down our average. How did he manage to get a score that low?_

* * *

 **Noil Kimball**

 _A six should be pretty average. Average is all right. Rybbon seemed average._

* * *

 **Jeanette Umbry**

 _A seven is great. A seven is in the upper half. They think a thirteen-year-old has a chance._

* * *

 **Culic Norph**

 _They must have made a mistake. There should be a one following that one. That's where they messed up. I don't need to show anything to be better than the others._

* * *

 **Avena Ceres**

 _A seven is impressive, but a lot of people did that well. It better be good enough._

* * *

 **Equius Wang**

 _What do you mean I only got a three? I can't have been_ that _bad! I actually did a lot of... oh._

* * *

 **Nepeta Shepherdson**

 _How did I get a two? That was cool! I was super quiet the entire time I stalked. And there wasn't even carpet._

* * *

 **Darren Pechay**

 _These people have no respect for real art._

* * *

 **Sarah Lilac**

 _A six is all right. I doubt that it's good enough. Two people in my alliance did better._

* * *

 **Zeke Danbury**

 _Rodney and I tied. That's good. Neither of us will drag the other back._

* * *

 **Scorpia Alden**

 _I knew I wasn't good enough. If I got a ten, my dad would get better._


	31. Interviews

**Marcelene Chaplin (Capitol Interviewer)**

 _One more time._ This year, when all of the cameras pointed at me, I didn't break a sweat. At least, I didn't show it as much as I had last year. I had a slightly less fake smile plastered on my face this time around. Whenever I started to worry about anything, I just thought about my lovely outfit. This year, I was following the trend. I had on a stark black tux and white undershirt, as well as a mahogany cane and a seven inch top hat. I was going to do what all the male tributes did, but I was going to do it better. When Jack walked onto the stage, he was wearing a tux, just like I expected. I smiled at his surprise when he noticed my outfit. Mine was far more sophisticated than his; his was striped, and some buttons were buttoned. _Hm._

"So, Jack, the Careers this year are interesting. My sources say that only two Careers seem entirely competent. Are you one of them?" I asked Jack, once he was situated in his chair.

"I don't know where your sources heard them. All of us are completely ready for this, although I would put myself in the upper half." _I'm sure you all would._

Tourmaline wasn't wearing a tux, despite how interesting that actually would be. For some reason, females tended not to wear tuxes. Instead, she was wearing a dashing purple cocktail dress. She was wearing thick makeup, which I actually thought took away from her beauty. _To each their own._

"Tourmaline, you know that the Capitol is dying to know: Why did you cheat on Vibrant?" I asked Tourmaline.

Immediately, her smile dropped. _Did she not expect that? Did I screw up the second interview?_ "I didn't. It's a bit of a long story."

I leaned in closer to Tourmaline, lowering my voice to a whisper. "Would you mind sharing? It could help."

Tourmaline nodded. "It's too long for an interview, but I'll give you the basics. Vibrant and I were both big names. He cheated on me, but he said I did it. Simple as that. Really, I'm over him now. And I know not all Capitolites are like that." _Smooth recovery._

Wolf was wearing a fancy tailcoat. I gave him kudos, because it wasn't exactly a tux, and because he somehow managed to be fancier than I was.

"Wolf, I hear you're quite the dream back in your District. Is that why you want to win?" I asked Wolf.

"Two has put so much into me. It wouldn't be fair if I didn't give that much back." Wolf's expression didn't change while he said that. Most people would think it was stoic. I knew that expressionless meant it wasn't the whole truth. _It's too late now._

Valerie was wearing a light blue ballgown. It went well against her brown hair, but I had seen better. _Finally. Something easy to read._ Tuxes gave me nothing to work with.

"Valerie, there are a lot of good Careers this year. Are you one of them?" I asked her.

"Of course I am! What sort of weird question is that?" _She was not going for bubbly and ditzy._

Lumen was wearing a plain brown tux. I stood up and pointed on him as soon as he walked onto the stage. "We're twins!" Once I sat back down, I continued. "Lumen, you got the lower score of your District. What do you think that says about you?"

"Absolutely nothing. The Gamemakers can't account for certain things, like unshown skills." _You little liar, you. You lost and you know it._

Scorcha was not wearing a tux. She was wearing a long-sleeved blue dress. It only went down to her knees, which seemed somehow sexy for a fourteen-year-old. It didn't seem to match her eyes at all.

"I hear you worked on plants during you training!" I said. I quickly found myself interrupted.

"Edible plants. And other stuff, of course."

"Yes. One would assume that. What's your favorite berry?"

"I don't like the berries. Edible leafs are more nutritious."

"Good for you. I asked your favorite berry." _Witch._

Mahi was wearing a tux, just like every male had so far. _Boring._ There was no getting a reading out of his angle through that, so I wasn't going to bother trying.

When Mahi noticed my distaste, he said, "This is uncomfortable." Then he took off his shirt, and I smiled. _This is going to be fun._

"Mahi, what's been your favorite thing about the Capitol so far?"

"I really like a girl. Her name is Icy Smooth. We've only been on a couple of dates, but she's super cool." _I'm sure she is. Too bad she's about to lose her boyfriend._

Halona was wearing a short, sea blue dress that came up to her knees. She was also wearing blue eye-shadow, which wasn't laid on nearly as thickly as Tourmaline's. _That's pretty. I'll have to ask what shade her stylist used._

"Halona, what do you intend to do these Games?" I asked Halona.

"Well, I intend to win," Halona replied to me, smiling. She seemed honestly amused. _I guess._

Rotor was not wearing a tux, much to my relief. Instead, he had on a long-sleeved blue polo under a darker blue vest. His pants were black, which was boring, but at least his shirt was something out of the ordinary. _Yawn, but less._

"Rotor, what was your favorite thing about your District?"

"Well, I wasn't about to die, so that was nice. Other than that, I liked how pretty it was. It was easy to imagine hundreds of scenes playing out with all of the beautiful landscapes." _I thought Five was super boring._

 _This is one of the worst outfits in the history of outfits, maybe ever._ Nacelle was wearing an orange dress with a lab coat on top. She also had brown boots and fingerless black gloves. It had horrendously clashing colors, and fingerless gloves weren't "in."

"Nacelle, I hear you have an interesting job in Five. Can you tell me how dreams work?"

"Dreams happen when your body tries to put things together while you sleep. Sometimes you get 'Happy girl,' and things are normal, but sometimes you get 'Flying T-Rex,' and everything suddenly makes a lot less sense." _That... actually sounds reasonable._

Rodney was wearing a black blazer, over a white shirt, and black pants. He had a red tie, which left me wondering whether he actually knew how to tie a tie. That wasn't an interesting angle, so I had to go with what I knew was interesting.

"Rodney, I hear you worked at a rehab center in your District. How did you get interested in that?"

"My little brother died soon after he was born. Then my dad died. I sound heartless when I say it that bluntly, but I learned how to get away from all the pain when I first started doing morphling. It's a terrible drug, and I got hooked, until my mom made me go to rehab. I learned there that there are better ways to grieve, and I guess I wanted to pay it forward."

Kenzie was wearing a short, dark blue dress. The collar was a sparkling silver, and while I thought it was lovely, I didn't think it showed off her personality. Kenzie was outgoing and delightful, not suave and subdued.

"All right, Kenzie. Who would win? Ukog vs Captain Panem."

"Oh, dear, that's a hard one. I guess I'd probably have to say Ukog. Panem is cooler personality-wise, but Ukog is faster and stronger." _Friggin weeb._

 _Two in a row. Two in a row._ Sparrow was wearing a suit. That technically wasn't a tux, but I wasn't impressed. He was wearing a jacket on top, which did not redeem him. _And we were so close._

"Sparrow, a little birdie told me you have a girlfriend at home. How do you think things are going, now that you're a tribute?"

"Well, I'm fine, or as fine as I can be. I think she'll still love me when I get back."

Ashley was wearing a dark green dress, which I assumed was supposed to be a reminder that she was from Seven. There was a lighter green bow over her heart. _Clashy._ I appreciated her earrings, though. They were cute silver trees. _I need to get me some of those._

"Ashley, your alliance is quite an interesting little bunch. Who would you say is the leader?"

"Oh, gosh. I wasn't expecting this. I'd say I'm more of the planner and actual protector of us, but Sarah's the best when it comes to getting Darren and Scorcha to calm down."

Noil was wearing a tux. Surprise, surprise. I gave his stylist kudos, since his tux was purple instead of black, but a tux is a tux. I appreciated the silver trim his tux had, because it was more exciting than purple alone.

"Noil, how do you think you're going to do in these Games?"

"I actually think I might do pretty well. I've got a good plan, and I actually learned a lot and got a lot calmer." _Comparatively._

Jeanie was wearing a baby blue dress, which I did not think pleased her. It seemed to be a reminder of the eccentric Parade outfit she had worn. Her dress went to her knees and didn't have sleeves, and it was extremely sleek compared to her previous appearance.

"Jeanie, how do you think your alliance will do?"

"Fine. We're fun."

"Which one of you is the weirdest?"

"Darren."

"Do you think you'll get a lot of sponsors?"

"Maybe." _Be that way._

Culic was wearing a suit. I wasn't upset by this. I didn't really want the boy to stick out in any way.

"Culic, why are you so cocky?"

Culic did not deign to reply. "You must know there are Careers?" No response. "And sponsors would be useful?" No response. "Oh well. You're probably going to die, and good riddance to the world."

Avena's dress was a deep green, which I thought brought out her eyes. Her hair was braided intricately, falling along her back in deep patterns, and she had nice glass slippers on.

"Avena, do you want to win these Games?"

"Do you think that's a dumb question to ask?"

"Do you think you're going to get sponsors by ticking me off?"

Equius was wearing black dress pants and a black tank top. _Well, it isn't a tux._ His outfit was nowhere near the formal wear expected during interviews, but it wasn't a tux.

"Equius, you seemed upset when your partner got Reaped. Why is that?"

"She and I know each other. You're supposed to be calm when you get Reaped, even if you're pretending, but she made a fool of herself." Equius's tone showed annoyance, but his face disagreed.

Nepeta was wearing a very short green dress, short enough that I was surprised even the Capitol accepted calmly. She also had pale green wings on, which made it difficult for her to sit down. _Still, super cute._

"Nepeta, do you really think you made that much of a fool of yourself?"

"Nepeta thinks Equius is overreacting. She knew what she was doing." _Nuh-uh. Darren is weird enough._

 _Speak of the devil._ Darren came out onto the stage while I thought that, and he wasn't wearing a tux! He was wearing an elegant ballgown, which went to the floor dramatically and took up half the stage. Strategically placed glitter complimented his body, and there was thick makeup that really brought out his eyes.

"Darren, you and I look like bride and groom! This isn't a normal situation."

"No, it isn't. Then again, normal is really in the eye of the beholder. Some people might think that the tributes should work together to always look like the bride or groom of the interviewer, while some might think that others should avoid it. Everything that we think is "normal" is an opinion, just like right and wrong, or-"

"And we're out of time!"

Sarah was wearing a very long, flowy lilac dress. _Real creative._ A dramatic motion followed Sarah whenever she moved even slightly, making it quite the time when she tried to sit down.

"Sarah, what made you want to ally with Scorcha?"

"Scorcha reminds me a lot of Sylvia, my little sister. She's the one that made me this bracelet I'm wearing, actually."

"That is a lovely bracelet." It was.

Zeke's outfit was a simple white shirt, with a silver blazer and black pants. He was wearing a tie, much like Rodney, and I was curious if he knew how to tie a tie, either. _Maybe Rodney tied it for him._

"Zeke, Bellepheron tells me that she's had to force you to stuff your face the entire time you've been here. What is up with that?" Bellepheron told me to ask that question. I wasn't supposed to be influenced, but Ginger didn't have to know.

"Well, I was hoping you would ask! Bellepheron noticed that I was super thin, because I never ate right in my District. Why is that? Because my jerkface stepdad wouldn't let me. I hardly ate every day, and I had to do tons of chores. And if I messed up, I ate less, and he beat me up, hence all of these bruises." _Well, son, you are never returning to that life._

Scorpia was wearing the same style of dress that Darren wore, except hers was yellow, and slightly less elegant. It had feathers on it. _I think Darren pulled it off better, but this is still nice._

"Hello, Scorpia!"

"Hello, Ms. Chaplin!"

"How are you doing today?" Normally the tributes didn't say hello.

"I'm doing quite well, thank you. How are you?"

"Pretty great! Thank you for asking. Technically this is an interview, so I suppose I'll ask a real question! Scorpia, what's your reason to win?"

"When I win my dad will get better." _Somehow, I doubt anything said in that sentence will happen._

Scorpia left the stage, and I left behind her. I noticed President Ginger motioning toward me out of the corner of my eye, and I went over to meet her.

"What seems to be the problem, Miss Ginger?" I asked, as soon as I was the proper distance from her.

"Technically, you're not supposed to favor a tribute."

"I was figuring you might say that. I didn't think Culic's popularity could go down very far. Sorry." I looked down at the ground while I spoke. I needed my job.

"I figured. Don't do that again, but nothing's going to happen. You really couldn't do much damage this time."

 _When the president herself says screw you..._

* * *

 **We're super close! There's a good chance we'll get the countdown and into the tubes tomorrow, because they're so short.**


	32. Into the Tubes

**Satin Legrasse (D1Mentor)**

"Tourmaline. You're going to win this thing. You're going to redeem your reputation. You have to do this in order to bring pride to your District." I knew what to say to get someone pumped. Any Career would freak out over pride, and Tourmaline knew the exact value of what I was talking about. I didn't think Jack understood the true meaning and value of pride. I washed my hands of him.

* * *

 **Totsuki Sugihara (D2Mentor)**

I didn't need to talk to Wolf. He was entirely prepared. He didn't blink as the tube lowered around him, or as the tube started to rise. I was more worried about Valerie, who seemed actually worried, herself. "You've got the same chance everyone else has. You have a better chance, since you're a popular Career. You are going to be completely fine. Just focus."

* * *

 **Tellie Cathode (D3Mentor)**

I smiled at both of my tributes. They both knew it was fake. More likely than not, neither of them were coming home. Lumen was fiddling with his glasses, which the Capitol was polite enough to let him keep. I could already see Scorcha running the numbers. "Scorcha, if you can get Reaped against a thousand to one odds, you can win against twenty-four to one."

* * *

 **Talaysa Pool (D4Mentor)**

"You two already know exactly what you're doing! I don't think I can really give either of you much advice. Mahi, don't let the Arena change you. It does that to a lot of people, but you're awesome. Halona, just be proud, no matter how well you do. You're more brave than most people already." All that advice was useless. For once, I actually knew it. _One of you needs to come back, or Four is doomed forever._

* * *

 **Sol Johnson (D5Mentor)**

"Rotor, Cell, both of you have your plans. Stick to them as long as possible, even if they seem mildly dangerous. It's very hard to make up a new plan under the amount of stress you will be going through." I wanted to be encouraging, but empty encouragement was useless. As long as I was giving my tributes advice, it sounded like I thought they had a chance.

* * *

 **Doppler Corvair (D6Mentor)**

Kenzie was crying when she stepped into her tube. I couldn't blame her. A lot of stuff must have been running through her mind, stuff I had only known once. I couldn't imagine how much worse it was presently than it was when the Games were even more shaky. "Kenzie, you're going to be fine. You're too bright to die in there. Nothing can put out your light."

* * *

 **Cassia Rose (D7Mentor)**

Sparrow didn't want to go into his tube. I understood that. I held his hand while slowly leading him to his tube. Lots of people would read that as weakness if they saw it, but I read it as humanity. Everyone could understand that he was just a boy who didn't want to die. "Sparrow, you and Ashley will do great in there. Both of you have good allies. Both of you are popular. Both of you have a chance."

* * *

 **Rybbon Marbroox (D8Mentor)**

Noil was shaking when he walked to his tube. That was entirely reasonable, but it didn't give me much hope for him. He only had a minute to recover before he had to fight. Jeanie was crying. I wasn't nearly as experienced with criers as the other two mentors. Giovanni and Nigella were really strong. "Noil, you know what you're going to do. You and Ember discussed this. You and I discussed this. Everything is going to be fine."

* * *

 **Flora Amphora (D9Mentor)**

Culic was entirely stoic as he walked into his tube. I knew that was coming from him. He thought he had nothing to fear. Avena seemed mildly upset by her situation, but she was surprisingly calm. "All right, Avena. You know pretty well what you're doing. Just remember to focus on the sponsors, and try not to die! That's all you have to do, and you'll be as rich as anyone in the whole world."

* * *

 **Bessie Deere (D10Mentor)**

Nepeta hugged Equius before she got into her tube. I thought that was cute. I also thought it was a terrible idea for her to stay attached. She was going to have to leave him. I wasn't going to remind her off that. "Nepeta, just stay you. Your hunting skills and your stealth should help you out a lot. Equius, you're going to hate to hear this, but follow Nepeta's lead. I don't want you getting upset and doing something dumb. Keep your head and you have a chance."

* * *

 **Harvest Cormick (D11Mentor)**

"I know I'm going to be fine. I walk into my tube, keeping a straight face. My gaze is holding. My voice doesn't shake." Darren was lying to himself while he walked into his tube. He was crying, and I could hardly understand what he was saying. Sarah was looking on, seeming to be trying not to cry. She was more successful than Darren was, but not by much.

"You two both think you're going to lose. That isn't necessarily true. Your alliance is great. You are strong. You are popular. Just keep going." I hugged Darren before the tube had time to block me. He didn't deserve this.

* * *

 **Bellepheron Steed (D12Mentor)**

"Both of you have good reason to win this. Zeke, just do your best. Rodney is great, you and him will get along well, and you're strong. Avena, don't forget your dad. I said that winning wouldn't necessarily make him better, but it can't hurt to try. You don't have allies, but there's a good chance you won't need them. Rybbon and Totsuki won without much help, and they were outliers, just like you. You aren't just statistics. You're outliers."


	33. Countdown

**Tourmaline Addells (18) D1F**

 _60... 59... 58... 57..._

 _What is going on?_ I could tell by the time I entered the tube that the Arena was going to be weird. I was wearing completely normal clothing - Jeans and a T-shirt. Normally we at least got training pants, and a nice shirt, but this thing wasn't worth a cent.

* * *

 **Kenzie O'Donell (14) D6F**

 _49... 48... 47... 46..._

 _What are you doing here?_ People were milling around nearby us. That wasn't supposed to happen in a Games. It was suppose to be us against the world. When we rose completely into view people dropped things and stared. I smiled and waved.

* * *

 **Mahi Katao (18) D4M**

 _39... 38... 37... 36..._

 _Mutts or people?_ Normally I was lighthearted. I didn't intend for that to change during the Games. People being where they definitely weren't supposed to was enough to kick me into gear for the moment, though, and I had to make sure the stares and gasps we were getting weren't the beginning of the hunt.

* * *

 **Culic Norph (17) D9M**

 _29... 28... 27... 26..._

 _Hey there, ladies._ Lots of Capitolites were staring, and I knew they were staring at me. In my sleeveless top and my reasonably tight pants, I was the perfect male body. I smiled and waved at all of the people looking at me, and they glared. _That must be a Kubrick glare. Nobody dislikes me._

* * *

 **Lumen Hal (17) D3M**

 _19... 18... 17... 16..._

I fiddled with my glasses while everyone stared at us. I hoped desperately that none of them were Hunters, but none of them seemed to be holding weapons, so I let myself hope for the best. Sparrow was right next to me, and I motioned to him. _I'm going in._

* * *

 **Jeanette Umbry (13) D8F**

 _9... 8... 7... 6..._

I wanted to hold my breath. There was almost no time left in the countdown. What could be the last seconds of my life were ticking away, somehow faster and slower than I expected. I was stuck somewhere between worry and acceptance, a place I didn't want to be. Darren kept smiling at me. He thought I had a chance. I figured he was wrong.

 _LET THE 20TH ANNUAL HUNGER GAMES BEGIN!_

* * *

 **I'm not the best person in the world at these things, but here's the countdown and some thoughts. In _The Running Man,_ the area the runner has to live in is the actual city where he's being hunted, so the Arena is the actual Capitol! I've been trying to find a way to do that for a long time, and here it is.**

 **Obviously, this makes a lot of things weird, so I need to clear some things up:**

 **Life is going on as normal in the Capitol (people still have work, stores are still open, parties still happen...), but now all Capitolites carry a weapon. They can help tributes or hurt them, whether or not they're Hunters. They can also bring tributes to the President's mansion (the area by it, not inside it) for some form of reward.**

 **Tributes can loot stores, but the Capitolites can fight back. They can try to blend in, they can steal clothes... Pretty much, anything goes, as long as it isn't a direct physical attack on a Capitolite. Capitolites can provide tributes with food, water, clothes, and shelter if they so choose, though most tributes won't need water in the actual Capitol.**

 **This means tributes have a real bathroom, in case you were curious.**


	34. BLOODBATH

**Culic Norph (17) D9M**

I walked away from the Bloodbath a little bit, wandering toward the lovely ladies that were surrounding it. None of them were getting close, which was wise. The Bloodbath was a dangerous place, especially for the weaker gender. I smiled at all of them, and they walked toward me.

A tall girl with blue hair spoke first. "I suppose you're here to protect us. But how can you do that without a weapon?"

I nodded. "How can I? I'll fix that right away." I walked over to the Cornucopia, slowly selecting the weapon of my choice. Sudden red covered the sword I was trying to pick up, and I glared at the ground. _This did not go as planned._

* * *

 **Tourmaline Addels (18) D1F**

I ran straight for the Cornucopia as soon as the gong went off. Really, I didn't have to be too worried about what was going to happen. There could be a freak accident, but there were six Careers this year. More likely than not, I would get my weapon of choice, whether or not I was to the Cornucopia in a timely manner. I didn't see a bow and arrow in the Cornucopia, but I could definitely settle for the lovely dagger nearby me.

A kid ran behind me. I heard his steps and whirled around reflexively, sticking my dagger in him. He looked like I hurt his feelings, not like I hurt his body. I pulled my dagger out from him and frowned. That wasn't how I thought he would respond.

* * *

 **Darren Pechay (13) D11M**

"Darren dies by Tourmaline Addels when he makes the mistake of running into the Bloodbath." I noticed that page was the last in my book just after I got stabbed by Tourmaline. That reinforced my thoughts of the author, and my certainty that I was going to die.

"Why me?" I asked the author. I knew they had their reasons, but why me? "Why did you have to kill me? I wanted to be good. I guess I screwed up. I may as well go out right.

"Darren lays on the ground, considering his situation. Blood surrounds him thickly, pouring out quickly. There's more blood than he thought there was in a human body. Slowly, he closes his eyes, accepting his fate. The hero of his story takes his final breaths."

* * *

 **Sarah Lilac (18) D11F**

 _Oh my gosh, we're all going to die._ I knew there was going to be carnage in the Bloodbath, but I wasn't prepared for the actual time. The Cornucopia was a frenzy. Everyone, even the Career Pack, seemed to be freaking out a bit. I could hardly believe that anyone was going to make it out alive. _How is the Victor not crowned right now?_

I saw Darren get stabbed and gasped. The vision focused itself in my mind, refusing to leave. I stood still for a second, stunned, until Ashley found me. She was covered with supplies, and she was bleeding, but she was clearly more stable than I was.

"We have to go!" Ashley yelled out, fighting to be heard over everyone else. I nodded.

* * *

 **Nepeta Shepherdson (13) D10F**

Equius was almost directly across the Cornucopia from me. That was only mildly upsetting. Both of us wanted to run in and grab some supplies, and both of us wanted to find each other in the Bloodbath. I ran straight towards him, grabbing a couple of things as I went. He mirrored my actions. Everything actually seemed to be going exactly as we planned it. When a sword stuck through his chest, I knew that that wasn't quite right.

* * *

 **Equius Wang (14) D10M**

 _Nepeta needs me._ Nepeta couldn't keep her head when she got Reaped. There was no way she was going to be able to make it through the Games without someone forcing her to stay calm. I wasn't the best for that, but I was better than nothing. I wasn't better if I was dead. I was calm, though. _Weird._

* * *

 **Scorpia Alden (17) D12F**

 _You don't need many supplies. You hardly even need a weapon. Unless a Hunter gets you before you meet a nice Capitolite..._ I knew I had to run into the Cornucopia. I knew it before I was in my tube. It was just a fact that I was going to have to get some supplies, even if the Arena was the Capitol itself. I ran in, trying to avoid anyone I could, when I almost ran headfirst into Zeke.

I grabbed the weapon closest to me, which was a knife. Zeke didn't have a weapon just yet. He stared at me for a second, then tackled me, forcing me to fight him. I rolled onto the ground, taking him with me, and rolled straight on top of him. I locked my knees around his waist, trying to keep him from getting back up, and held my knife to his throat.

 _I can't do this._ Zeke's eyes were as wide as mine must have been. He looked scared, just like I was. He was just trying to get home. I couldn't force that knife through his throat. I got up and let him go, thinking that he owed me a favor. A sudden pain shooting through my back proved that he thought otherwise.

* * *

 **Mahi Katao (18) D4M**

 _I'm gonna get you._ As a Career, I was expected to do some damage during the Bloodbath. I just had to choose someone to go after, and I would be able to prove my worth in the Games. I was making my way over to Sparrow, since he was heading into the Cornucopia. I couldn't have him getting a lot of supplies that the Careers wanted. He noticed me before I could get to him, and he turned away. _Well, there goes my chance._ I was confident, but I was not fast.

* * *

 **Noil Kimball (16) D8M**

 _You're going to die you're going to die all of this planning was for nothing everyone is dying where are all of these screams coming from?_ Rybbon told me everything was going to be all right. I could not believe that. A lot of people were dying already. That was not all right. Nothing about this was all right. Everything that could be going wrong was going wrong, and the fact that I was right by a Career wasn't helping.

I tried to run into the Cornucopia. I thought Halona would leave me alone if giving chase would bring her right where she could get sniped mid-kill. It was an all-or-nothing guess. I quickly found myself on the ground.

"Sorry," Halona said as the jabbed a knife into my chest. "I really am."

 _I told you everything wasn't going to be all right._

* * *

 **At long last, peeps are dying! Eulogies and then explanations.**

 **24th Place: Culic Norph - Stabbed by Valerie**

 **When a Capitolite goes out of her way to get you killed...**

 **C** **ulic was a great tribute. A tribute that everyone can hate, that nobody minds being first to die, is great. AlyssumBellgrove submitted him, and every third word in his form was probably "lazy." It was in his form that he would talk to girls in the Bloodbath and die. Thank you Alyssum for Culic, who was exactly what every story can use. You really did me a favor.**

 **23rd Place: Darren Pechay - Stabbed by Tourmaline**

 **Darren's death really hurt me to plan. Darren was pretty awesome, just because his submitter took a chance. He was nothing I ever received before, and probably nothing I will ever get again. It was mentioned that his token was a book titled the Running Man, which wasn't supposed to help him, but I couldn't resist this death scene. I tried to make it great. He didn't deserve this crud, but we all knew he wasn't going to win. Thank you to Platrium for Darren, who was great to have around.**

 **22nd Place: Equius Wang - Stabbed by Jack**

 **Equius was really something. His backstory was weird, and so was his District partner. I didn't like him at first, but he grew on me. He just had a really dumb Bloodbath plan that happened to lead straight to a Career. Jack is sorry that he killed you. Thank you to AmericanPi for Equius. He got 22nd.**

 **21st Place: Scorpia Alden - Stabbed by Zeke**

 **Fun fact: This was exactly the death Scorpia's submitter requested. It was pretty weird, getting someone who was supposed to be a Bloodbath. Anyways, Scorpia was cool. Her backstory wasn't entirely insane, but it was hard. She had a good reason to push, and she really had a heart. That ended up being her downfall. I likely wouldn't do something like that unless it was requested. Thank you to Red Roses1000 for Scorpia, who was an exciting character to have around. Avena is still kicking.**

 **20th Place: Noil Kimball - Stabbed by Halona**

 **Noil was submitted as a Bloodbath. I was happy to oblige. I always need Bloodbaths, and Noil was supposed to be useless. He was actually kind of fun, because he had a realistic reaction to the Games. I wouldn't blame his submitter if she re-submitted one to someone who wasn't working on getting more concise, because I didn't quite get his whole backstory out. Thank you to tracelynn for Noil, who was a necessity. At least you still have Tourmaline.**

 **And there you have it! The Bloodbath. I do need to clear some things up:**

 **The Arena is a bit big, but not huge. It is also the whole Capitol. Obviously, this doesn't make much sense. For this story and this story only, the Capitol is compressed. The tributes have plenty of weird places to go, and plenty of room, but they can't get miles apart or anything.**

 **The Hunters are still around. I asked someone for four numbers without telling them what was happening, and they didn't happen to guess one that would put a Hunter in the Bloodbath. Currently Icy and Clariselle are reasonably close, while Vibrant is practically across the Capitol and Faye is kinda wandering halfway across. This probably won't matter later, because they move a lot and I have a bad memory.**

 **The Capitolites were told not to get involved in the Bloodbath, which is why the ladies stuck to the edge and partially why no one died (also logic?). Now that the Bloodbath is over, they can get involved.**


	35. And So It Begins

**Note: I keep count of POVs per tribute. However, currently nobody has any, because Bloodbath POVs don't count (they're short and all similar). Don't fret if your tribute got mentioned despite being mentioned earlier, and don't assume I forgot your tribute (yet) even if they didn't get mentioned.**

* * *

 **Sarah Lilac (18) D11F**

 _We didn't all die._ That was the first thought that ran through my head after I got out of the Bloodbath. Ashley was leading me down the streets of the Capitol, and Scorcha was close behind us. I was fighting to catch up despite being taller than Ashley. I still wasn't entirely processing what was going on around me, or just how fast I had to be. I could only process that I was alive and that Darren wasn't.

"We have to find shelter," Ashley yelled back to me. She hardly had to yell at that point. Everything was quieting down as tributes began to scatter. Capitolites were looking at us, some of them cheering us on and some of them trying to find other tributes. Most of them were smiling brightly, but some of them were glaring. I couldn't imagine what was going through their heads that would make them upset at people who were just trying to stay alive.

"I can help you with shelter," a Capitolite woman yelled, grabbing Ashley's arm. I stared at her for a second, taking her appearance in. She looked normal enough. She was a bit taller than I was, and she had light brown hair with gold streaks. Her eyes were a deep green, and they were absolutely gorgeous.

Ashley looked back at me, and I smiled and nodded. She seemed reasonably trustworthy. Scorcha had caught up to us at that point, and she nodded, too. Ashley shrugged, and we followed the Capitolite to what I assumed was her home. It was a huge house, but it was the same size as all the others. The house was multicolored, like most Capitolite houses, and the handle to the front door was carved to look like a dragon. We walked in, and I made sure to go in last. I wasn't going to let one of my allies get stabbed in the back again.

When we got inside the house, the Capitolite told us to sit down. "I'm Nettavive, by the way."

I smiled. "I'm guessing you know who we are, but I'm Sarah, this is Ashley, and she's Scorcha," I said, sitting down and gesturing at my allies.

"I'm aware," Nettavive replied, laughing a little. "Now, who wants pie?"

All of us gasped when Nettavive turned around holding a freshly baked chicken pie. It was still steaming, and it smelled like life.

"You baked that yourself? Why didn't you just press a button?" I asked.

"It tastes better this way. Now eat up!"

Nettavive was right.

* * *

 **Jeanie Umbry (13) D8F**

"Where are we going?" I asked Rotor, Kenzie, and Jeanie while we ran. Somehow, all of us made it out of the Bloodbath. I could hardly believe it, but we were all fine. That wouldn't last for long if we didn't have a plan, though, and I didn't know exact details of what we should do.

"I don't really know. I figured we should head to the outer edge. Fewer people will look there than in the middle," Rotor said matching his pace to mine. He could run a bit more quickly than I could, but it wasn't easy to talk to someone who was in front of me.

"Makes sense to me," Kenzie said, running behind us. I hardly heard her, but it was clear enough. Cell didn't argue, so we kept running in a straight line. We had to reach the end of the Capitol at some point.

Running through the Capitol was easier said than done. The place was huge, so we knew we couldn't sprint it all in one night, but that wasn't the main problem. People and their cars blocked our way as we accidentally went deeper instead of leaving, and it was difficult to make any headway. The fact that we had to keep looking out for anyone holding a weapon just made our lives more difficult. I turned to Rotor.

"Change of plans. We aren't making it out of here in this mess. We should find someone willing to help us out for the night, and then we can keep heading out. Does that work for all of you?" I asked, turning to Cell and Kenzie as well. All three of my allies nodded, and I started looking around.

It didn't take long for people to recognize us, and for them to recognize our distress.

"Hello, there! You all seem chilled to the core to be going through such a new place, with danger threatening you at every turn. If you come to my place, I can tell you I won't give you such an icy welcome," a man said, approaching us. I quickly noted that he was much taller than I was, and that the other Capitolites were staring at him.

"We've got to go," I whispered to my allies, still smiling at the man. They turned and tried to run away.

"I didn't expect to receive such a cold shoulder, but I was prepared for such an unique response!" the man yelled, and he pulled out a gun. I expected to get shot, but I wasn't. Water came out instead of a bullet, coating the ground and quickly turning to ice. I tried to get off, but my feet slipped on the ice. The man was wearing ice skates, so he was fine.

I pushed myself off the man, knowing I would slide. I slowly turned while I slid. It wasn't intentional, but I didn't mind. That meant I would know where I was going. I could see Kenzie trying to figure out what to do, while Cell pulled Rotor away. Kenzie screamed and I tried to turn to see why she was screaming. Suddenly, I couldn't see anything at all.

* * *

 **Nepeta Shepherdson (13) D10F**

 _He's gone. He's gone. He's gone._ That was the one thought that reverberated through my head while I made my way through the streets of the Capitol. Equius, one of my only friends, was gone. My ally and my support was gone. He was the guy that always kept me sane, even though he was insane in his own way. He was the guy that kept me from jumping off of a cliff because it sounded fun, or from getting in a fistfight with a random kid because he was rude to me. The only support system I had was wrenched away from me, leaving me alone when I most needed someone to watch my back.

I looked up and saw a parachute floating toward me. I didn't really care about it. I didn't need my chances increased any more. I needed my friend. I opened the parachute out of curiosity of what was inside more than out of wanting to have its contents.

 _Hey there, Nepeta. I know this is hard for you. All of Panem can see it on your face. Just keep your head up, okay? It's what Equius would want. It always sounds dumb when people say that, because he doesn't want anything, but I'm pretty confident that he would want you alive. You got this._

The note was the first thing I noticed when I opened my sponsor gift. It was a nice note, and it was true. I just didn't care. Some weird, fluffy sugar thing was in the parachute, too, as well as my claws. I looked at the claws with despair. I knew how to use those, but I was supposed to be fighting with Equius, not on my own. I pulled the candy out of the box and ate it, walking toward the edge of the Capitol. _May as well do what I came here to do._

Equius and I had a plan before he died. He and I were going to make it out of the Arena together, without killing anyone or running into any Hunters. That plan couldn't be entirely successful now, because my ally was dead, but I could still do part of it. I could still get out and spite the Capitol, the evil place that killed my best friend. It was worth a try.

* * *

 **19th Place: Jeanette Umbry - Beheaded by Icykill.**

 **Ah, Jeanette. Jeanette was a good character. She wasn't some hardened criminal, she was just a kid that got sent to die. I appreciated that in her, and it was great to write. I just couldn't really get a feel for her, and we all knew she wasn't going to win. Thank you to District Nine Tribute for Jeanie. Her allies will remember her.**

 **So, now we've established how sponsor gifts get sent. It's still a parachute, but Sarah's pie was also a requested gift. So, it's either Capitolite- or parachute-delivered.**


	36. Careers and Stuff

**Valerie Cartwright (18) D2F**

"Okay. Obviously, this has put a damper on our plans. We can't tell who Hunters are right away," Jack began, saying entirely reasonable things. I didn't know why he was the head of the Career Pack. I didn't mind it at all, but he didn't seem like a leader to me. None of us really did this year, though Tourmaline probably made the most sense. All of us were avoiding it this year, because being the leader generally ended badly.

I only cared who the leader was because I was curious of a pecking order, not because it really seemed to matter. From what I could tell, Halona was on the outs, Wolf was the leader, and everyone else was just in between. Halona was only on the outs because she didn't bother breaking in more; it didn't seem to me that any of us minded her presence. I figured that Tourmaline could end up leaving us, just because she knew more about the Capitol than we did. I didn't really care about the other to girls, though. The most important thing in this alliance was the men: Wolf, Jack, and Mahi.

Even a Career that was in the Pack needed allies. The Pack would fall apart sometime, and it was vital to know who you would still have on your side when that happened. Halona and Tourmaline were fine people, but I knew a bit about men. They were easily manipulated by anything with boobs or a butt, both of which I had. That meant I could spend time pouring attention into one fine Career, and hopefully have him entirely wrapped around my finger. I couldn't expect too much, but I had to try a little bit.

"You know, Icy probably wouldn't mind if we went to her place. As long as we're polite, she seems pretty nice," Mahi said, snapping me out of my thoughts. His statement made me realize that he was definitely off the table. Mahi was a taken man, and he seemed far too nice to cheat on Icy. I wouldn't want to try that, anyways. It would bring my popularity down way too far.

"That sounds great, actually!" Wolf said, smiling. "Do any of the rest of you mind?"

None of us objected to staying at Icy's place, and it was settled. If Icy was cool with it, we would stay there. Our main issue switched from not having a place to go to not knowing where that place was. We all turned to Mahi, hoping he would have an idea of where his girlfriend lived.

"It never really came up. She knew a good restaurant in the Games Building, though, so maybe she lived there." That was all Mahi was able to come up with when we asked him where Icy lived. It wasn't very useful, but it did provide some ideas.

"In hindsight, why don't we just stay in the Games Building? It has weapons, and it probably has food," Halona said quietly. I could tell from the way she held herself that she thought she was walking on thin ice, and Wolf seemed to be able to tell, too.

"That is a great idea! The main problem with it is that we don't know exactly where it is, which we're about to solve, but also that Hunters would probably expect us to go there. We can't risk being in the most predictable place!" Wolf said, smiling sincerely at Halona the entire time. That made me realize why he was the leader. He seemed to be the only one that could handle it.

* * *

 **Zeke Danbury (15) D12M**

"I killed someone." I wasn't proud of that fact. I did it out of pure necessity. I knew it wasn't necessary in the moment, but in the grand scheme of things, Scorpia had to die if I was going to live. It stank, but it was fact. I told Rodney about it because I figured he deserved to know that I killed someone, and because I thought it would make us both trust each other a bit more.

"I suppose I should say that's okay, but it's only kind of okay. It is as okay as it ever will be, I guess. I don't trust you any less or anything, but let's try not to kill more than necessary, okay?" Rodney replied. He sure said "okay" a lot, but I didn't mind.

"Yeah. Yeah, that's great. I don't want to kill everyone, or anything. I just thought you should know." Somehow, I felt really immature saying that, which didn't make much sense. There was nothing childish about not wanting to kill more people than necessary.

"Well, thanks for telling me. I'm glad we agree on not wanting to kill everyone. Let's focus on a place to stay now, all right?" Rodney asked me. I nodded. Somehow, I didn't want to talk any more. It was a surprisingly pleasant exchange for how dark the topic was, but I still didn't feel like carrying on any more than I had to.

Rodney didn't have any idea where he was going. Neither did I. Neither of us knew anything about the Capitol other than the Games Building itself, and that could have been anywhere. We were just aimlessly wandering, trying to find somewhere reasonably suitable for two hideaways. We couldn't go far downhill, but we had to go uphill. We would die if we didn't.

"We need a rally point," Rodney said, out of the blue.

"What's that?"

"If we get separated, we both head there. It's to make sure we don't lose each other for good."

"Oh. That sounds good. What's a good rally point?"

"We need to always be able to see it," Rodney said, clearly thinking intently about this. "How about that skyscraper? The tallest one in the skyline?"

"I'll do you one better! How about we live there for the Games?"

"That's actually a good idea," Rodney said, smiling. "Why didn't I think of that?"

We sprinted for a while to get to the tall building, then walked when we were too tired to sprint. As we got nearer to the building, I slowly began to recognize the build of it, and I recognized the outside from the one time I had been in the Capitol.

"Who knew that the Games Building is the tallest building in the Capitol?

* * *

 **Sparrow McKrail (16) D7M**

"Do you think we need to worry about food?" I asked Lumen as we wandered the streets of the Capitol. The same question could be asked about water, but both questions would be answered when Lumen answered. I thought we didn't have to worry, but I didn't want to press my opinion. Lumen was so slow to ally with me that I thought he might leave me if I ticked him off.

"I think we're all right for now. There's water everywhere, especially in that one huge fountain. And it seems that Capitolites are allowed to get involved, and most Capitolites probably won't want to watch a kid starve when they're right there. It's a lot different from watching it on a screen," Lumen said. I nodded. That entire statement seemed completely reasonable. I knew that being in the Games was different from watching them first-hand.

"Okay. Where do you think we should head for shelter?"

"Do you really care?" Lumen asked me. That was what I was afraid of. If I said the wrong thing, I could upset him. I knew I would have to live if he decided I was a bad ally, and it would be for the best if he left me if I made him mad, but I still didn't want to upset anyone. I had to think about my answer for a while before I spoke.

"I think we'll be fine if we don't get anything yet. The Gamemakers won't want to make the Capitol dangerous to live in, because the Capitolites would get upset," I finally settled on saying, watching Lumen's facial expression while I spoke.

"That's what I thought, too. Then I guess we should just wander for a while. Should we talk to some Capitolites?"

"Probably. We don't _need_ food yet, but it couldn't hurt if one of them offered to help us," I said.

"That's what figured! Who seems like a good candidate?" I immediately found myself looking for women who looked like Savannah, but I found my vision drawn to one Capitolite who managed to stick out from the rest. A bit of it came from his rainbow skin, but most of it was because he was pointing a gun directly at Lumen.

"Look out!" I yelled, tackling Lumen to the ground. I felt something dig into my skin while I did that, but I didn't mind. I was too busy checking to make sure that I hadn't hurt Lumen.

"What was-" Lumen's words were quickly cut off when he noticed my state. I noticed that something warm was on my back, and I realized a second later that it was blood. I sat myself between Lumen and the mystery attacker and reached for my back. I cut my finger on the thing I was grabbing, but I was too curious to mind.

"It that... confetti?" I asked, staring at whatever it was that was in me. It didn't really matter. I felt some more things dig into my back, and I saw Lumen gasp. Then I felt more blood dripping down my back, but that sensation quickly started to fade. "Just run, okay? You need to run now."

* * *

 **Surprise! I'm not dead. I just really couldn't get a feel for this lately.**

 **18th (?) Place: Sparrow McKrail - Razor Confetti'ed by Vibrant**

 **I would like to point out that I intend to have some tribute-on-tribute violence, but I want to get some Hunter establishment. So here we have our second Hunter kill! I killed Sparrow here because it seemed fitting. I didn't think he was going to win, and he definitely seemed like her would be willing to die for an ally (his form constantly mentioned clinginess, which I selectively read as loyalty). Sparrow was a super cool dude, but he liked allies so much that I didn't think he could go on without one. Thank you to 66samvr for Sparrow, who was a great tribute. I just think his time has come.**

 **NOTE: You know how I like to do shout-outs? I'm running out of SYOTs! If any of YOU know good SYOTs that I haven't submitted like eight characters to yet, y'all should tell me. I have a couple of characters that I really want to submit.**

 **Another note: I normally don't keep track of these things, but:**

 **-Icy is wandering semi-near the Games Building (my main landmark)**

 **-Vibrant is pretty near it (Sparrow happened to go the same way as Rodney)**

 **-Clariselle is off elsewhere (we aren't sure yet)**

 **-Faye is wandering near Ginger's house (the place where Capitolites can turn in tributes for rewards)**


	37. The Collection

**Note: Kenzie and company have an anime costume and a blueberry cheesecake (sponsors that I couldn't slip into the POV)**

* * *

 **Avena Ceres (15) D9F**

"What do you want with me?" I asked the Capitolite that was escorting me. My hands were high above my head, and I could feel the blood draining out of them. I could hardly even ask the question, because as soon as I made noise the Capitolite twitched and readjusted her gun to make it point toward me slightly differently. I didn't see the gain, but she obviously did.

"Wouldn't you love to know? Just keep moving."

"Can I know where we're headed?" I doubted that the Capitolite would tell me, but I had to try.

"No. No, you cannot. We'll get there soon enough." That was the answer I expected. I wanted to keep trying, but I also didn't want to annoy someone who had a gun pointed at my head. Just how nervous the Capitolite seemed did nothing to help, because I knew a simple twitch could end me.

I didn't know how far we walked. I knew how long we walked. One hour and three minutes passed while I had a gun pointed my head, according to a big clock on one of the taller buildings. I tried to decide where we were going while we walked. We weren't heading toward the tallest building. We weren't heading toward the shortest, to the best of my knowledge. I noticed a particularly large, well-guarded building and assumed that was where we were going.

"Here you go! One tribute for check in," the Capitolite said, shoving me into the lot in front of the mansion with the barrel of her gun. I shuddered. Being "checked in" didn't sound like a good thing, especially so near to what I had to assume was the president's mansion.

"Here, kitty kitty! Come out to play!" a voice called. I tried to see who it was, and someone slowly emerged from the shadows. She wasn't much taller than I was, and she had skin as white as a sheet. Her hair was bright pink, which was stunning against the rest of her pale, slim figure. "We're going to have so much fun with my swords!"

I turned to run. _Oh no. I don't have time for this crud I can't handle this right now._ Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned to meet my fate. The person, who I assumed to be a Hunter, raised her sword at me, and I ducked. I wasn't going to win against a trained Capitolite, but I had to try.

"You're going to have fun on my sword! Tee-hee-hee! Faye's gonna get you!"

"I friggin doubt it, witch!" I lunged to the side before Faye had time to swing her sword down at my head. I lost my footing, and I saw her sword coming straight at me.

* * *

 **Lumen Hal (17) D3M**

 _Finally._ Hunters were such a nuisance. I valued their jobs in getting rid of other tributes, but I definitely didn't want one getting rid of me. I figured the lady I was lurking near was a Hunter, because I saw her talking with and getting weapons from the president herself. That meant I needed to get rid of her, and as soon as possible. As soon as possible ended up being over an hour, but finally, Faye was distracted.

Raising your sword over a weak tribute was a pretty good distraction. Faye was taking her time with her prey, who I thought was the Nine girl, cutting her up and giggling a lot more before bothering to go for a killing blow. It disgusted me how much fun Faye seemed to be having, watching Avena slowly start struggling less and less. I appreciated that time. It allowed me to slowly sneak up to her, getting closer and closer until I could easily attack her.

"She's right!" I yelled, giving Faye a chance to turn toward me. In her turn, Faye dropped her sword a bit, and I slammed the rock I had grabbed over an hour ago into her head. Faye took a step back and I lunged toward her, smashing her face in with the rock again and again. Once, when Faye tried to take a step back, she fell to the ground, and I noticed the girl's arms wrapped around her legs. I smiled at the girl and dropped down onto Faye, carefully pinning her arms to avoid her sword, and smashed the rock into her over and over until her face was unrecognizable.

"Thank you! I'm Avena," the girl said, slowly standing up. I bent down beside Faye and picked up the fallen Hunter's sword. I noticed some people milling around me. I was probably going to get in trouble for killing a Capitolite. I remembered hearing somewhere that we totally weren't supposed to do that, but I hoped I would be pardoned. It was reasonable to kill a murderer.

"Oh, don't thank me! You helped me get rid of some competition. So did she, though." I jabbed the sword at Avena, thinking of a line I had heard in a movie forever ago. _It's just business. It's nothing personal._

* * *

 **Nixena Potena (Capitolite Citizen of No Importance)**

I stared intently at Marcelene. She was so lucky to get to host this show. I was so lucky to have a ticket to watch it. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of other Capitolites were sitting around the stage, watching with excitement while Marcelene narrated everything going on in the Capitol around us. We could have been watching from in town, but that was dangerous. We just watched a tribute kill a Hunter, which wasn't supposed to happen, and which definitely wasn't safe. Really, my motivation for being there was the potential prizes that were mentioned on the ticket, and my hopes for meeting Marcelene.

"Now, here's the part you've all been waiting for! You've seen how two of the remaining three Hunters work. It's time for one of you to guess who's going to rough things up next! Raise your hands and you voices and we'll pick someone from the crowd!" I raised my hands and screeched like a banshee, like all of the Capitolites. Marcelene looked around for a second, then pointed. "You, in the third row, with the bright purple hair! Tinted blue skin! Come on down!"

 _Oh my gosh she's talking about me._ I walked down to the stage, practically shaking with excitement. Marcelene hugged me then led me to a chair, and I sat down, still shaking. "I can't believe I get to meet you! This is so exciting," I said.

"It's exciting for me, too! What's your name, you lovely lady?" Marcelene asked me, smiling almost as largely as I was.

"I'm Nixena Potena! And you're Marcelene Chaplin."

"That is correct! So, would you like to know what's on the line?"

"Of course I would!" I didn't really care about the prize anymore. I was on the stage with _Marcelene Chaplin._

"You can win a copy of every Hunger Games so far, as well as a copy of the next five! All you have to do is correctly guess who will make the next kill. Who do you think?"

"I can vote for anyone I want, right?"

"Anyone you want!"

"I think it'll be Wolf Krieg," I said, grinning from ear to ear. He seemed strong.

"Ma'am, you're supposed to guess a Hunter. Which Hunter will make the next kill?"

"You said I could vote for anyone I want, and I want Wolf Krieg."

"All right! Let's find out if Wolf Krieg will make the next kill," Marcelene said, after looking at someone off-stage to make sure that was acceptable. _Anyone I want._

* * *

 **I think it was a "thing" in the Running Man that you could bring the Runners to a certain place/get a Hunter (stalker?) to them and get some form of prize. So here we go.**

 **17th (? Send help) Place: Avena Ceres - Mauled by Faye but finished by Lumen**

 **Ah, Avena. Avena was pretty cool. She had a fun backstory (I don't think I've gotten an affair before), which automatically makes her cool, and she had a nice personality. She wasn't a Sue or a witch. I didn't see her winning, and I needed to kill someone off next (plus, alliances are harder for Faye to attack), so she had to go. Thank you Red Roses1000 for Avena, who was a great addition to this story.**

 **Honorable Mention!**

 **4th Place (not all Hunters will necessarily die): Faye Quaritch - Face smashed in by Lumen**

 **Faye was great! I really needed an over-the-top Hunter, and she was smart and fun. The thing was, I thought a Hunter death would be super cool, and tribute-on-tribute is cooler than Hunter-on-tribute death, so she had to die. She got thrown off guard by rock and was ended by rock D: Thank you to Red Roses1000 for Faye, too. Avena definitely got some revenge on her.**

 **Normally I'm not going to do tons of Capitol stuff (because who cares?), but this was a movie reference (A lovely old lady votes for Ben Richards, one of the only Runners). So here we go.**

 **Will Wolf Krieg make the next kill?**

 **Will Lumen become a crazed lunatic?**

 **Will Nixena get her prizes?**

 **Do these questions matter at all?**

 **Maybe some of these and maybe some more on the next episode of Running Man!**

 **NOTE: You know how I said I wanted to do shout-outs? I'm now doing a collab with Fire'sCatching and some others, called Randomize: The 200th Hunger Games. Since I have some tributes in there (and I'm writing) I want readers and criticism!**


	38. First Round of Cannons

**Rybbon Marbroox (D8Mentor)**

I knew from the beginning that neither of those kids were getting back to me. They didn't stand a chance in an Arena with the normal amount of people, much less one with four extras. I wasn't surprised when Noil died, but I cared enough to mourn him. The exact same thing went for Jeanie. Two kids died, and nobody was surprised. _You could write a book about this..._

* * *

 **District Eight**

Most of Eight didn't notice Noil until he was already in the Games. Dupioni and Chenille, the parents, mourned their son practically in silence, trying to keep the factory together. Woolla did no such thing, more worried about living her life as a kid than getting her inheritance. Nobody knew that the Umbrys liked Jeanie very much, since they let her run off so freely, but their loud mourning that went on for days proved Eight wrong.

* * *

 **Flora Amfora (D9Mentor)**

I found it in me to mourn Culic. I thought from the beginning that I wouldn't, that I would celebrate when he died, but even though he was eighteen, he was just another kid. Just another person the Capitol killed. Avena was entirely her own person. I thought that maybe she had a bit of a chance, and maybe I could finally stop mentoring, but that was torn from me. _Just one more year._

* * *

 **District Nine**

Culic's father mourned him less than the rest of the District. While Nine all recognized a potential person wasted and taken from us, Mr. Norph just saw a diamond ring down the bathroom drain. Culic's sister seemed to miss her older brother, but only with a shed tear whenever he was mentioned. Mrs. Ceres seemed almost relieved when Avena died, but then she told Mr. Ceres about her affair. They stayed together due to the mourning, and cakes and desserts lined their doorstep for days.

* * *

 _ **Sparrow McKrail**_ **(** **Ashley Cavanough)**

 _Who could kill you?_ Sparrow was such a nice kid. He didn't hurt anyone. He wanted to be my ally, despite being older than I was. I should have taken his offer.

* * *

 _ **Noil Kimball**_ **(Halona Remus)**

He was forced into this even more than I was. I wasted a kid who was just a kid. _Oh my gosh._

* * *

 ** _Jeanette Umbry_ (Nacelle Aeolius)**

I let her die. I was so busy getting Rotor and myself away that I didn't bother helping out a crying kid on the ice. _Kenzie deserves to win this more than I do._

* * *

 ** _Culic Norph_ (Mahi Katao)**

Even I didn't like that kid, and I wasn't one to make enemies. I didn't wish him dead, but I was happy he wasn't the Victor.

* * *

 _ **Avena Ceres**_ **(Lumen Hal)**

 _I killed her. I killed another kid._ I knew what I was doing when I killed Avena, but I still didn't. I didn't realize how much the thought would reverberate in my head afterward, or how much it would make me think someone else should live.

* * *

 _ **Equius Wang**_ **(Nepeta Shepherdson)**

When Equius' face showed in the sky, I screamed. I didn't care if it gave away my position. I didn't care at all if someone tracked me down and killed me because of it. Equius was getting mourned properly if it was the last thing I did.

* * *

 _ **Darren Pechay**_ **(Scorcha Bellamy)**

Sarah and Ashley mourned so much more than I did when Darren died. The thought didn't really settle in my mind until I saw his face in the sky. Nettavive seemed to remember that he was our ally, and all of us cried one more time.

* * *

 _ **Scorpia Alden**_ **(Zeke Danbury)**

 _Rodney said it was okay. If he's a good guy, which he is, it must be really okay._ I kept telling myself that the entire time Scorpia's face was in the sky. I might be able to convince myself that it was a little bit right. I couldn't make it true.

* * *

 **Lumen Hal (17) D3M**

I killed a Hunter. I also killed a tribute, but that wasn't the mind that kept floating to the top of my mind while I stared at Faye's corpse. I killed a _Hunter._ It was one of the few things we were warned against doing, and I went out and did it. It wasn't even that I got attacked and did it out of self-defense. I did it in cold blood. I might be able to plea that it was just a strategic move, but I didn't think any of the Gamemakers would want to hear it.

The door to the president's mansion opened, and I saw a bunch of tall people in suits walk out. They seemed to be walking around someone, and I slowly realized that they were surrounding the president herself. I turned to the bodyguards and waited to see what was going to happen to me, completely expecting Ginger to kill me herself.

"Lumen, this is a violation of Games rules," Ginger said, after the bodyguards shifted to a semicircle formation instead of standing in a circle around her.

"Sorry about that," I said, practically quaking. I wasn't dead yet. That was all I was hoping for, every second of our interaction.

"Lumen, give me your sword." I handed the sword over to Ginger without question. She was getting it whether or not I cooperated. _She's going to kill me with Faye's weapon. It's going to be all symbolic, and I'm going to become a message._

I wanted to leave, but I didn't think I could outrun the bodyguards. I stared at Ginger while she held the sword. She looked like she was going to say something, but she wasn't doing anything. She was just staring at me, then looking at the sword, then staring at me again.

"Lumen, I'm not one to get to involved in these Games. The Capitol wants its fun, and it can have it. Faye knew the risk she was taking. You will not get this sword, because that would be rewarding you for killing a Hunter. However, you are not going to die because of this. If you continue to show this kind of trait, we may have to remove you, but I have no intentions of doing that unless you make me. If you physically attack a Capitolite, we will terminate you immediately, instead of waiting a bit to see how it turns out. This is your punishment," Ginger said, keeping a straight face the entire time. I was amazed at how calm she was when she threatened to kill me. She stayed entirely professional, while I was near tears from terror.

"Thank you! Oh gosh, thank you," I said, trying to force a smile. I didn't want to seem ungrateful when Ginger just spared my life. I slowly untensed, and I turned to walk away from Ginger. I knew it was a bad idea to turn my back on someone, but I didn't think Ginger was one to get her hands dirty without a middleman. I got twenty feet away and confirmed that thought.

* * *

 **Here we go! I did the cannons in order of District instead of in order of death.**

 **No new deaths this chapter! Normally I don't want to give tributes two POVs in a row, but since it's only one POV this chapter, it would be weird to do a different lone one. Also, we needed to know what happened to Lumen! Ginger's a super chill president, so he's not dead yet. His second POV will be duly marked, though, so it might be a while until we see him again.**


	39. And Another Rises

**Tourmaline Addells (18) D1F**

After an hour of wandering, we finally found ourselves near the Games building. One lone cannon reminded us that there was business to be done, and time was quickly ticking away, but there was nothing we could do until we were situated, which the Games Building was going to help us with. The cannon also let us know that at least one of the Hunters was probably a ways off, because most tributes didn't hurt each other.

"I say we go in," Valerie was saying to Jack. "We get some supplies, maybe we kill some tributes, and we get out."

"I say we don't! We get some supplies, maybe get ambushed by a Hunter, and the Pack falls apart. We don't need that this early on in the Games. Breaks are to be avoided," Jack replied, huffing. I understood his frustration. We had already decided that we weren't going in.

"Let's take a vote," Wolf said, stepping in between the two Careers. We were getting a lot of stares, so I was ready for the argument to stop. "All in favor of going in, say I."

"I!" Valerie's voice rang out.

"All in favor of us not going in, say nay," Wolf said, as if it mattered. Valerie knew she was outnumbered.

"Nay!" four voices yelled. I noticed that Halona didn't vote, and I guessed that she didn't want to ruffle any more fur. It was a reasonable standpoint.

"Let's just find Icy and get some food," Mahi said, patting his belly playfully. "It's about time." All of us nodded, though Valerie seemed upset. She was quickly calming down, which made me happy. I didn't want to have to deal with any possible disloyalties. "Icy!"

I jumped when Mahi yelled. I hadn't been expecting him to try and bring her to us. I thought we were going to find her. Wolf looked at Jack, who shrugged. Both of them started yelling for Icy, and I joined in. Valerie and Halona joined in behind me, all of us yelling out for Mahi's boyfriend. I didn't think it was likely to do us much good. There were probably tons of people named Icy in the Capitol.

"Mahi?" A loud yell rang back.

"It sounds like your girlfriend," I said to Mahi, smiling. He smiled right back.

"It's Mahi!" Mahi yelled, running over to the general direction of where the voice had come from. "Nice to see you again! I didn't think it'd be so soon. Do you mind if we crash at your place for a while?"

"I'm not going to be able to afford this much food, but sure. Follow me." Mahi took the lead with Icy, holding her around her waist while they walked. I smiled at them. I was happy that Mahi had managed to find himself a nice Capitolite. _Unlike what I ran into._

* * *

 **Scorcha Bellamy (14) D3F**

"Come out to play, tributes. I know you're around here somewhere." Those words kept quietly coming through the house, haunting my allies and me. None of us knew who held it, but we knew they were a big deal. After Nettavive shoved us unceremoniously underneath a counter, all of us got it through our skulls that something was very wrong.

"Hey! Would you happen to know where any tributes are? I'm supposed to be finding them." The voice was suddenly a lot louder, and I realized that whoever held it was probably talking to Nettavive. That meant she was looking into the house. A wave of relief that our counter wasn't easily visible from the front door washed over me. I didn't want to see whoever was talking face-to-face.

"Sorry, I don't! It's a shame. It seems like so much fun to see them in the Capitol! Good luck." Nettavive hesitated for a second before she spoke, and I hoped the person she was talking to didn't notice. I also hoped she didn't notice how quickly Nettavive closed the door after she was done talking.

After a couple of minutes had passed, Nettavive turned to us. "All right. The coast seems clear now. You should lurk underneath the counter a while longer, though. I don't want blood on my carpet," she said, stress in her voice despite her joke. All of us nodded. We didn't want to risk anything.

"What is she doing?" I whispered, leaning over to Ashley. We were still under the counter, even though hours had passed. Someone was staring in the back window, glaring at us. I saw her reach for something, and the door opened.

"Oh, wow. I can't imagine where any tributes would be," the person walking into the house said. I recognized her voice before Ashley or Sarah could, and I shoved Ashley over the counter. She yelped at my push, but I ignored her. I tried to shove Sarah over the counter next, but she kept herself on the ground, pushing me over instead. The lady was running to us, at that point, and Sarah was crying.

I stood over the counter, gasping when the lady pulled out a gun. There was no way she would use that in a Capitolite's house. Sarah stood up and tried to jump over the counter, and loud bangs filled the house. I sprinted out, dragging Ashley behind me, and felt tears fill my eyes when I heard a cannon. Of course Sarah would be the one that stayed behind. Of course she was the one that would die. She was the one that had a heart.

* * *

 **Rodney "Rod" Sanchez (18) D6M**

"Cannon!" I yelled to Zeke. The kid was keeping track of all of the deaths, which seemed like a smart thing to do. Then we knew how many deaths were left, and how long it would be until we had to split. I also figured he was trying to justify that it wasn't so bad that he had killed someone if other people were dying regardless, but I wasn't going to ask about that one. It was clearly a sore spot for him.

When that cannon went off, Zeke and I were exploring the Games Building. More precisely, we were lurking away from windows. We had seen the Careers walk past us, and we didn't want to bring them looking for us in the building. We had enough supplies to wait out the entire Games in there, and we didn't intend to give them up until we had to. We would have to if any Careers came around, and we knew it.

"What's all this?" Zeke called out to me, beckoning me over to a room full of small, white boxes with red X's on them. "Is this medicine?"

"Hm." I sat down in the room next to my ally, pulling open one of the boxes. Sure enough, it was a small first aid kit, complete with bandages, drugs, and ointments. I smiled at our discovery. Medicine was certainly valuable in any Games.

I started when I noticed a cabinet full of needles across the room. "Is that... drugs?"

"Hm? What?" Zeke asked, jumping up beside me. I walked over to the cabinet and found that it was full of syringes, each full of liquid. I couldn't place it for certain, but I read the label, which neatly said _Morphling._ I couldn't understand why the Capitol would have a stronghold of hundreds of needles of morphling, but I knew I didn't want to be in a room with them.

I took one of the needles and pushed all of the morphling out, keeping the syringe. Until we had some other weapons, and we hadn't found the training rooms yet, we needed some form of self-defense. A needle wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. I saw Zeke take one of the syringes too, and decided that he wasn't tearing himself up too much about killing Scorpia. He seemed willing to kill again.

"Let's get out of here," I said, walking out of the room. "Morphling and I have a history, and we need to make sure the cafeteria still has food. Maybe the Gamemakers cleared it out." I tried to act far more casual than I felt in a room full of drugs. I needed to get out of that room. A break from reality was a tempting idea.

* * *

 **16th Place: Sarah Lilac - Shot (repeatedly) by Clariselle**

 **Sarah was a great tribute. She was nice, not coldhearted and a total villain, like some eighteen-year-olds that get submitted. The problem with being nice is, I quickly saw her becoming a mom, and she did. She became completely protective of her allies, and in the end, I thought it made sense for her to die saving them. She got her allies out of the tight spot, and she stopped any bullets from getting past. Thank you to Goldie031 for Sarah, who was a great addition to this story.**

 **Wolf didn't make the next kill. I totally intended for that to happen, because I actually am dumb enough to do that, but someone pointed out that Clariselle hadn't been mentioned yet and I realized that she was right. It looks like Nixena won't get her copy of every Hunger Games.**


	40. Headache

**Kenzie O'Donnell (14) D6F**

"Are you Kenzie O'Donnell?"

"Oh my gosh, that's Kenzie O'Donnell!"

"I knew we would see tributes, but I didn't think I would run into Kenzie O'Donnell!"

Voices plagued us as we ran the streets, fleeing from Icykill. I didn't mind being recognized. It was actually kind of cool to see people dressed up like my costume of Captain Panem, or in my robot suit. The problem with people yelling about us was that it told all of the other tributes where we were. A lot of the Capitolites probably wanted that, but I didn't think all of them wanted me dead. Some of them were even nice enough to offer us bits and pieces of food while we ran, though none of them offered us shelter.

When a sponsor gift came to us, I laughed. It was excitement and surprise, as well as a lot of fear. I didn't think anybody would send us anything, but we got a blueberry pie, and I could practically see the heat wafting off of it. Rotor and Nacelle decided that we wouldn't eat it yet, which was fine by me. I was more focused on the Amazing Woman costume I had been sent. I was quickly pulling the red, gold, and blue costume over my head, knowing that I could pull my shirt out from underneath the costume.

"Why are you putting that on? You'll stick out like a sore thumb," Nacelle commented while I slipped the pants on. I gestured around us.

"Will I really? Everyone is dressed up as someone. With a bit of luck, people will think I'm another bad cosplayer. No offense, Capitolites," I replied, all geared up. The really cool thing about my outfit was that the sponsor sent a lasso with it, like the one Amazing Woman used. I didn't know how to use a lasso, but it was nice to have a rope.

"She has a point," Rotor said, looking over at Nacelle. I could see them playing through a conversation with their eyes, and I realized that I definitely didn't belong. When it was Jeanie, Rotor, Nacelle, and I, I had another person that wasn't from Five with me. When she died it turned into two cousins and me, leaving me as the definite odd one out. I knew Nacelle valued Rotor over me, and I had to assume Rotor valued Nacelle over me. _Okay. We're gonna look for an exit strategy._

* * *

 **Nepeta Shepherdson (13) D10F**

I walked. It was a simple thing to do, and I quickly found myself getting bored. That surprised me. I knew I was capable of hunting for hours on end, yet walking for a while made me bored. I could be as loud as I wanted to while I walked, since I didn't think anybody was about to find me. Nobody would be bothered by the thirteen-year-old freak from Ten. When I was hunting, I had to be quiet. That meant that it made no sense for me to be bored, and yet, I was.

 _It's nerves,_ the common sense in me said. The common sense in me was probably right. I was extremely nervous about what I was going to see when I got to the end of the Arena. The landscape probably continued on normally, just separated from me by a mark or something. Still, part of me couldn't believe that it would be that simple. Part of me latched onto the idea that it had to be something exciting. Maybe everything would change colors, like when I put on sunglasses Equius lent to me, or maybe everything would be tiny. Something had to switch. It didn't seem right that life could continue on as usual.

A parachute snapped me out of my thoughts. It wasn't particularly big, but I figured great things could come in small packages. I was right. In the box there was a pair of claws, just like the ones I showed the Gamemakers. I didn't know how a sponsor knew what type was my regular, and maybe it was a lucky guess, but it didn't matter. I had exactly what I was prepped to use. The claws were far outshined by the other thing in the box, though. The box held a small necklace, with a horse charm and a locket. I knew what was in the locket without looking. In the front there was an old-timey picture of Equius and his parents, that they forced him to take, and hidden behind that picture there was one of Equius and me. His parents didn't know about that one. They probably wouldn't have approved. I never thought they approved of me, but they had to have been the people that sent it. Nobody else would have known.

I could feel tears flooding into my eyes, and I tried to blink them away. I forced myself to keep walking, and I could feel the small headache I always got when I tried not to cry poking at me. After a while I let the tears flow. "I'm gonna get out of this for you," I whispered while I walked. I knew it was true. I was going to get out of the Arena, one way or another. I might not get back to Ten, but I was getting out.

A couple of people pointed at me while I walked. They seemed worried. _Yeah, I'm crying. My best friend died. You'd cry, too,_ I thought. They were gasping and looking around. I tried to tune them out. I could see the edge of the Capitol. My headache was getting worse, but I tuned that out, too. It was probably dehydration. I could fix that once I was out of the Arena. I was going to get out for Equius.

Suddenly, it was decided that I was going to see him.

 **Jack Xhaca (18) D1M**

"Hm. I need some more milk. And eggs. And lettuce. I need a lot of things..." Icy was muttering to herself while she looked through her fridge. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop on her, but it was pretty hard not to, since I was in the kitchen with her, preparing us a lunch. When I asked why she didn't press a button, Icy muttered something about a home-cooked meal, and suddenly I was cooking for us. It was hard to say no to Icy. Her pale skin and big, innocent blue eyes made it feel like I would break her in two if I said no. I knew she was taken, but it was hard not to look at her now and then, just to remember how pretty she was. "Do any of you want to come shopping with me?"

"Don't you have one of those buttons that makes food come out of the wall?" Wolf asked, waltzing into the room to taste the noodles I was cooking. Icy shook her head.

"Ew no. I do, but those are only good for cake and stuff. _Eggs?_ Eggs need to be fresh. Now. Do any of you want to come with me, or should I go alone?"

"Hm... What do all of you think?" Wolf yelled into the living room. Mahi came in quickly, followed by Tourmaline, then Valerie, and finally, Halona. Icy smiled at each of them while they entered the room.

"I think it would be good for us to go. We could get an idea of the landscape, and none of us would be attacked if Icy was with us," Tourmaline said. Everyone else nodded, though Mahi seemed less confident than the rest of us. I knew he was worried about Icy, since she would be hanging out with a bunch of tributes.

"I'll go," I said, and Halona stepped forward.

"I'd like to go, too. I've always wanted to see the Capitol." Wolf looked at the rest of the Careers, who shrugged, and it was decided. I was going on the least conventional supply run in eighteen years of Hunger Games.

"Off we go!" Icy yelled, and I followed her out of the house. I was a bit worried that the rest of us would make a mess while I was gone, and I realized that I didn't turn the oven off. _Hopefully the others notice when the noodles start to burn,_ I thought, not dwelling on the fact for too long. Mahi would take care of the house.

We walked to the store, even though Icy had a nice vehicle. Icy said that walking was nicer, and I agreed. The clear air was a wonderful. I noticed lots of other people walking, too, and lots of them had cool pets. Most of them had cats or dogs, but one had a horse, which was pretty neat. I pointed at all of them as I went by, impressed by their odd colors.

"That one's looking at us," Halona whispered while we walked. I laughed.

"Animals aren't that- What _is_ that thing?" My train of thought was quickly cut off when I noticed a giant, horse-like animal near us. I felt the discomfort Halona hinted at.

"Ah heck we gotta go!" Halona yelled, and I ran after her without asking questions. I could feel the ground shaking slightly behind us while we ran, and I realized that Halona had been right. It was looking at us. Icy was running with us, but she broke off. I hoped she would lead the moose away from us, and I could see that she hoped that, too, but it ignored her. It kept chasing us, and I noticed a small alley.

"Go in there, Halona!" I yelled, continuing straight. There was no way the behemoth would be able to follow her in there. She broke off, and I kept running straight. I heard screams seconds after, and I saw my ally being gored on the monster's horns. _Oh. I forgot about those._

* * *

 **Halona Remus (18) D4F**

 _I'm going to be the first Career to die. Won't mother be ashamed._ Those thoughts cut clearly across the rest of my panicked ideas when I felt the monster's horns gouge into me. I had thought I was far enough ahead of it to get deep into the alley before it would be able to get at me, but I had thought wrong. The hole in my back proved that. I was surprised when I didn't die from the first gouge, but I knew I was doomed. All of us might not be able to fight off that thing, and I was only one, weak Career.

I laughed when I felt myself being pulled out of the alley. I was almost far enough away. I had gotten feet away from safety. Whatever was attacking me was smart enough to know that it wasn't going to kill me from that angle. It had to try again, pulling me out with jerky movements. I kicked and screamed at it, gouging at any flesh I could get near. I wasn't going to win. I could just make sure that the thing didn't want to mess with my allies anymore.

* * *

 **Sorry this chapter is super late. A lot of stuff happened and I may have forgotten this existed :D:D:D**

 **15th Place: Nepeta Shepherdson - Head exploded**

 **Nepeta's strategy was to try and leave the Arena. Her death (or Equius') was supposed to be that she would run into the forcefield and die. However, this Arena couldn't well have a forcefield, because Capitolites had to be able to leave. Luckily for me, canonically, if a Runner tried to leave the town, his head would explode. This made a simple death for Nepeta. Nepeta was a great character to write, and she was different from what I normally got. She was designed to place fifteenth, and I'm not one to disappoint. Thank you AmericanPi for Nepeta, who really got to freak those Capitolites out.**

 **14th Place: Halona Remus - Mauled by moose**

 **I needed to break up the Careers somehow, and I didn't have many ways to do that. Careers don't split up, and no one wants to attack two Careers. Luckily for me, moose don't discriminate. Halona and Jack had no way to escape a moose, especially not a smart Capitol one. Halona did not die from gouging, because moose don't gouge well. We will hope and assume that she hit her head somewhere and was unconscious for most of the mauling. Thank you to Paperairine for Halona, who really was a cool idea. Please remember that in my story, placements are either first or not, and fourteenth does not mean she was that weak.**


	41. Eulogies and Stuff

**Bessie Deere (D10Mentor)**

Those two were doomed from the start. The Gamemakers couldn't approve of Nepeta, and Equius would never leave her behind. It was actually a pretty sweet story, but it was also a dooming one. I was sad to see the two kids go, but it didn't come as a surprise. Nothing really did, now that I was a mentor. Next year, two more kids would come and die on my watch. Until then, I could mourn these. _Rest in peace._

* * *

 **District Ten**

None of Ten knew what to make of Nepeta. She was generally a nice enough kid, but she was also insane. We hoped her mother was alive, and if she was, we hoped she was all right. The random flowers and dead animals on her grave made us suspect both of those things to be true. Equius' family replied differently. Philip, the man of the house, mourned his son nearly every night, while Marie refused to mourn her son. Arthur broke after three days of pretending to be a big tough guy.

* * *

 **Harvest Cormick (D11Mentor)**

 _I lied._ Those words rang through my head when Darren died. They rang through my head when Sarah died, and they kept reverberating as I realized I had sent two more kids to their deaths. I told my tributes they had a chance. I got their hopes up when Darren was definitely doomed from the start, and Sarah was too nice to ever win the Games. Even if they had made it out, their personas would have been dead. _Lies._

* * *

 **District** **Eleven**

Tamana Peachay wailed when Darren was Reaped. Everyone was happy when she stopped, and everyone told her they hoped her son came back. Most of us were telling the truth, despite how much of a freak her kid was. When Darren died, her wailing started again. She blamed herself, and none of us were capable of convincing her not to. Mr. and Mrs. Lilac mourned their daughter like the prim and proper people they were, while Sylvia slowly pulled into herself. All of the kids at school gave her extra attention, but nothing could fill the hole left by her sister.

* * *

 _ **Halona Remus**_ **(Jack Xhaca)**

 _I killed her._ Halona's blood wasn't directly on my hands, and none of my allies would blame me for her death. That didn't stop the knowledge from rattling around in my brain. I killed one of my allies, and one of the ones that trusted me the most. _Good thing I'm not the leader._

* * *

 ** _Nepeta Shepherdson_ (Kenzie O'Donnell)**

 _Another one bites the dust. Gosh that was morbid._ I didn't know what could have killed Nepeta. I wanted to think _who,_ but nobody was capable of killing that girl. It had to be something nobody could handle. Whatever it was, it was one more thing I was going to have to avoid once I left my allies.

* * *

 _ **Sarah Lilac**_ **(Ashley Cavanough)**

 _There she is._ I couldn't accept the fact that Sarah was dead. Darren's death had settled in my mind, and solidified into fact, but Sarah's death wouldn't come to rest. She was the best of us. She was so nice. And that had killed her. _Only the good die young._

* * *

 **Ashley Cavanough Jr. (17) D7F**

"Where do we go now?" Scorcha started when I asked the question, but I knew I was only saying what both of us were thinking. If we ran across the entire Arena, we risked running into other tributes. If we stayed where we were, we were almost guaranteed to run into that Hunter again. _Is there anywhere to go?_ That question ran through my head, and I could see in Scorcha's eyes that I wasn't the only one asking it.

"Let's... Let's head to the edge of the Arena. People will still be around there, and we probably won't run into anyone that's an enemy. You know, the Careers and Hunters will want to stick to the center, where the cool stuff is," Scorcha said, doubt flickering across her expression. I realized that neither of us were the leader of our alliance. Nobody had ever been. Both of us didn't want to tread on each other's toes, but nothing would get done that way.

"That sounds great to me! Let's go this way," I said, perking up and smiling brightly. It wasn't what I felt like I should be doing, and I knew Scorcha would be surprised by my sudden brightness, but we had to have some form of direction. If Scorcha was going to sit back and be polite, I would step forward and force us through this.

"Okay! Do you know where the Arena ends?"

"Oh. That's a good question. When we get close to it, we can ask Capitolites where the Capitol officially ends, and we won't go past that point. The Capitol will probably be good with us doing that." _I hope._

"All right. Off we go, I guess." I started walking while Scorcha was still speaking. She followed along, but when I glanced back, I saw that her head was still down.

"Hey. We're all going to be sad about Sarah. But it'll be a lot easier for us to mourn when we're Victors, and we aren't constantly hiding. We at least need to settle somewhere again before we'll be able to be sad the right way. For now, just keep your head up! You never know when you might run across a sponsor." I whispered the last few words. The Capitol would be able to hear what I said if whoever filtered the show really wanted them to, but nobody would probably think anything of a whisper. We couldn't have the Capitol knowing that everything was an act.

* * *

 **Wolf Krieg (18) D2M**

 _Two cannons in a row? That's odd._ When the first cannon went off, all of us Careers jumped. We didn't think anything could have happened to Jack or Halona, but we figured they might have gotten a kill. Then they would come back injured, and we'd have to patch them up. Mahi had been given the honor of rummaging through Icy's house to find the first aid kit, just so we'd be prepared. When the second cannon went off, all of us though something was wrong. At our most vulnerable time, people were suddenly dying.

Icy got back to her house before either of our allies got back. She was breathing heavily, and her hair was mussed up. "Jack. Halona. Moose. Don't know. Alive. Can't," Icy puffed between breaths. Mahi came out of the closet he had been searching through and grabbed her a cup of water, while Tourmaline and Valerie led Icy to her couch.

"What exactly happened?" Tourmaline asked.

"We were walking and a moose came. I tried to lead it away, but it ignored me. Went after them." Icy was catching her breath, and she was shaking like a leaf.

I heard steps outside the house, and I ran to see what it was. The door was thrown open, and I saw Jack. I ran up to him, not bothering to set down my sword before I reached him.

"What happened out there?"

"Ack!" Jack raised his spear at me, and I raised my sword to block it. He took another swing at me, and Mahi ran in.

"It's just Wolf, Jack. Calm down. No one's gonna hurt you," Mahi said, grabbing Jack's arm.

"Sorry. I thought you were an attacker. I'm a little jumpy right now," Jack said, and I noticed he was shaking slightly.

"Where's Halona?" I asked, already knowing what the answer was going to be.

"That thing got her. I don't know what it was. I tried to get her to an ally, but it gouged at her and got her."

I found that hard to believe. Jack was smart enough to know how to get away from a simple chase. I wanted to question him more, but with Icy sobbing on the couch, Mahi trying to calm everyone down, and Jack shaking like a leaf, I figured I should let good enough lie. Someone shaking as much as Jack had been through something, and you couldn't fake tears like those.


	42. Oxygen

**Mahi Katao (18) D4M**

Jack explained his story once, and Wolf seemed mildly suspicious. He kept looking over at Icy and trying to check if he was telling the truth. I believed Jack as soon as he said his first couple of words. He was freaked out, and Careers didn't like to show fear. I could see Wolf slowly settling to belief, too, which seemed to calm Valerie and Tourmaline down a bit.

"Well, that happened. Obviously, the Arena is more dangerous than we thought. If the Capitol sent mutts after us, we should probably get moving," Tourmaline said, checking with Wolf while she spoke. The official unofficial ruler had the final say.

"Sounds good to me," Wolf said. "Where should we head?"

"The Games Building isn't far from here. Somebody probably found it by now. Maybe we can find them," Icy said, and I smiled at her. People that said all Capitolites were ditzes were wrong.

"Can you lead us there?" Wolf asked, and Valerie gasped. That was not part of the original game plan. Wolf looked over at us. Valerie shrugged, I shrugged, and Jack and Tourmaline nodded.

"Sure. It's only the most famous building in the Capitol," Icy replied, walking out the door. "Just keep a lookout for moose." I walked out right behind her, pretending to keep a close lookout for anything dangerous. I really was looking out, but I didn't need to make as big of a deal of it as I did.

We only walked about twenty feet down the road before Tourmaline face-palmed and Wolf sighed. The Games Building was only two blocks down from Icy's house, so we could have found it without her. We dragged a Capitolite into our hunting, and we didn't even need her. _She had better not die._

"All right! I say we should split up into groups of two. Mahi and Icy should stick together, because Mahi might be the most useful to her. Jack, Valerie, Tourmaline, partner yourselves up and I'll take the extra. Only engage if you're confident you can win. Otherwise, call for backup. If you've been seen, just yell. Sound good to you?" Wolf asked all of us. I nodded. It didn't matter to me. Tourmaline paired up with Jack, leaving Wolf with Valerie, and we went in.

* * *

 **Zeke Danbury (15) D12M**

"I think I found something!" I yelled out to Rodney. I was walking into the old private session center. There were a couple of weapons scattered throughout it, but surprisingly few. There were a couple of spears and some weird sticks, which I didn't know how to use. When I walked up to a table a slot in it flipped over. A note that read "Sponsor gift for Zeke and Rodney," appeared, as well as four daggers. I picked them up and turned to see Rodney sprinting into the room.

"Careers just came in. Saw in window. We have to get out of here," Rodney wheezed, hardly able to get his point across with how out of breath he was. I handed him two of the daggers and sprinted out of the room with him. He pocketed one of the daggers, holding one in one hand and the syringe in the other.

"Well, well, well. What have we here?" A Career appeared from around the corner. "Yelling isn't too smart of an idea, is it, Jack?" I put the pieces together and realized that it was Tourmaline, the model. She seemed more likely to taunt than Valerie, and she looked way different.

I looked over at Rodney, who was stepping in front of me. He was holding his dagger still, and I pulled both of mine out. I go the feeling Tourmaline wasn't going to let us run.

"We don't want a fight," Rodney said. "We'll scram and leave you the supplies."

Tourmaline laughed. "Or we could kill you and keep the supplies." She lunged at Rodney, but I threw myself at her before she could reach him. Jack shrugged and attacked Rodney, and the fight began.

I had no idea what I was doing. It was safe to say I had less weapon experience than Rodney did. I kept trying to slash at Tourmaline, thankful that I had two daggers to match her two knives. She got a cut down my arm and I sloppily thrust my knife into her leg. She got a cut across my forehead, causing blood to drip all across my face, and I stabbed her shoulder. I sliced across her chest, and she stabbed her knife into my neck. _I think that's more fatal._

* * *

 **Jack Xhaca (18) D1M**

I wasn't worried about myself. I wasn't really worried about Tourmaline, either. These two didn't seem to know what they were doing, and I thought I was going to go after Zeke. When Tourmaline ended up fighting Zeke, leaving me with larger, healthier Rodney, I was mildly upset, but it was just going to be a mild annoyance. Rodney was trying to use a syringe and a dagger against my machete. A machete was a sorry excuse for a sword, but it would get the job done.

Rodney took a swing at me with his dagger. I dodged away and cut his arm with my machete, glaring when he pulled away almost as quickly as I slashed. I didn't get nearly as deep into his arm as I should have. I pulled back quickly, knowing that getting the knife out of his arm would make him bleed a lot more. He seemed to know this too, since he immediately let that arm go limp and focused with the other.

Rodney lunged for me. I ducked easily, but Rodney landed behind me. He stuck something thin into my neck then pulled away. I was surprised to find that I could still breathe. I remembered that his bad arm had been holding his dagger, and I figured that he had forgotten to put the dagger into his good hand. I turned to continue the fight with him, but Rodney was already walking toward Tourmaline, his dagger and syringe held high. I couldn't hear exactly what was going on, but Tourmaline was backing away. I couldn't see her get away before I hit the ground.

* * *

 **Whoo-hoo for super late updates! Sorry about that. Piece of good news: I got second in my region's spelling bee, so I'm continuing to state! Don't expect an update on March 24th. I'm pretty much super hyped, so you're getting to know about it whether or not you want it.**

 **13th Place: Zeke Danbury - Stabbed in Neck by Tourmaline**

 **Zeke was a cool dude. He was a nice character, and I liked him enough. I just needed some deaths this chapter (and in general, this story is taking too long), and this alliance was the one closest to the Careers. Thank you to TheReaper94 for Zeke, who was a cool dude. RIP.**

 **12th Place: Jack Xhaca - Air Embolism**

 **Fun fact: If you put a syringe full of oxygen into someone's artery, they die. I've actually been planning this death for months, because it's pretty cool (in my opinion). I figured Rodney would know about the dangers of syringes, being a former addict. Yay to strengths from weaknesses. Anyways, Jack was pretty cool. He was more of a fun Career, and he could have gone far. He was losing popularity and he wasn't one of my favorite Careers, so I figured it made sense for him to go in this battle. Thank you to Jayman for Jack, who I actually did like.**


	43. Resolution

**Rodney "Rod" Sanchez (18) D6M**

Fighting with me, after being hurt by Zeke, was not worth the risk. At least, that was what Tourmaline seemed to think when I was standing over her dying friend's body. That could have explained a lot, if she hadn't been standing over my dead friend's body. One way or another, I seemed like enough of a threat that I convinced Tourmaline to go back to her Career allies. We had simple terms. I would leave peacefully, and they would leave me alone for a while. I had to leave behind supplies, which was annoying, but I considered myself a smart person.

I thought that because Tourmaline never specified that I had to leave behind all of the supplies. I would leave some behind, because there was no looting the entire Games Building, but some and all were very different things. I stood in the way of Tourmaline heading toward the medical room, so when she left, I could go right there and take everything I found that could be useful. Assuming I wasn't stabbed in the back.

Tourmaline held true to her word, and I made it safely to the medical room. I picked up a huge, human-sized bag and started packing it with everything I thought could be useful. Syringes full of random drugs? Those went in, assuming they weren't morphling. I didn't know what morphine was, but I assumed it was something different and threw that in there. Bunch of cool weird surgical knives? Into the body bag. The bag was quickly getting heavy, but it could still hold more things, and I wanted to have a lot of things in there. Weird thing that says it fixes broken hearts? I could use one of those.

 _Hah. Covering your grief and guilt with humor. Innovative._ The thoughts penetrated my head suddenly, but I knew somewhere in the back of my mind that they had been in my mind the entire time. I _could_ use something to fix my heart, but nothing medical could do that. I found it oddly humorous that Zeke was murdered. He felt so bad for taking someone's life, yet the universe took him. I hid my best weapon from someone and used a method of killing - not murder, I reassured myself, killing - someone in seconds, and I was fine. I could stay alive that way. I just didn't know if I could live with that.

* * *

 **Nacelle "Cell" Hall Aeolius (16) D5M**

"We never did decide on a plan," Kenzie muttered absentmindedly while she walked. I realized that she was right. We had been aimlessly wandering the streets of the Capitol for a couple of days, sleeping in allies and being relieved that the Capitol had almost no crime. We were walking targets, even to a petty thief.

"I kinda thought a Capitolite would offer us shelter. You know, then we'd be safe, and we wouldn't have to wander," I replied. "I guess your outfit's working a bit too well." Kenzie laughed at that comment, but it had an element of truth to it. People were noticing us a lot less now that Kenzie looked like just another cosplayer. I realized that Nacelle and I were practically unknowns, hanging out with a famous star.

"Well, if that won't happen, we'll need to make ourselves a shelter. What can we do without one?" Rotor asked. I figured he was hoping we would be able to make some sort of progress, but it wouldn't be quite that simple. Any progress in the Hunger Games was hard.

"I don't know," I replied, this time more slowly. I didn't want an argument, and even if I caused one, I didn't want it to be against Rotor. He actually knew how to argue. "I think getting steady supplies might be more important. This Arena's super hospitable, since it houses thousands of Capitolites. The Gamemakers can't well send us a sudden weather catastrophe."

"That's true, but then again, there are fountains everywhere. I think those are safe. I drank some of them to find out, and I'm assuming the Gamemakers don't want us to get the runs in their precious Capitol," Kenzie said, rather quietly. Suddenly she shrieked and spun around to bat at something, but Rotor beat her to it.

Pulling his hand back and forming a fist, Rotor punched the uncertain thing in the face. It was quickly revealed as a Capitolite, which three things pointed to. The first was the high-pitched shriek, which definitely wasn't a tribute's. The second was Kenzie's and Rotor's horrified expressions when they realized it wasn't an attacker. The third, and definitely most important, was when Rotor's head suddenly split open.

Kenzie fell down and threw up, and I couldn't decide exactly what had pushed her over the edge. I started crying and waved goodbye to Kenzie, who nodded her approval. I didn't fully blame Kenzie for Rotor's death, but in the midst of grief, the human brain wasn't fully logical. I didn't want to start anything I didn't have to.

* * *

 **Ashley Cavanough Jr. (17) D7F**

We had to be getting near the edge of the Arena. First of all, we had been walking for what seemed like forever, and it wasn't hard to walk in a straight line with alleys constantly guiding our path. Second, people kept pointing at us. Our biggest hint was that I had gotten a headache and mentioned it to Scorcha, who said she didn't have one and then took two steps further and nodded in agreement. Those could all add up to nothing, but we repeatedly walked across the threshold and found out that we definitely got a headache at that specific spot. That _had_ to be a hint.

"All right! We dilly-dally around here for as long as possible, let the competition get thinned out, and then head back once the Capitol starts to get on our case for being boring. That way everything is as easy and low-risk as possible!" I said, still pretending that I was entirely sure of myself. It turned out that fake confidence could go a long way, seeing as Scorcha never questioned anything I said.

"That actually makes a lot of sense. I wish we figured it out earlier," she replied, and I knew she was still thinking about Sarah. She had a right to be sad, but I was trying to force her out of her slump. We couldn't afford to be anywhere except the top of our game in this situation. A small slip-up could cost us our lives, and I didn't want to deal with that again.

"Well, the past is in the past! For now, we focus on the here and now. Let's see if we can get some grub!" I looked around while I spoke, trying to see if any Capitolites seemed interested in us. A lot of them were staring, but they were oddly quiet. I walked up to one of them.

"Hey, do you know where we could get some food?" I asked a woman who was shorter than I was. I wanted to make sure I could take her if she attacked.

The girl nodded, saying, "I have something in my bag. Just don't go any farther outside the Arena, okay? The last person who did exploded." _Oh._

* * *

 **Less late update!**

 **11th Place:** **Rotor Aeolius Ypsilon - Exploded head (Or punching a Capitolite in the face, depending on what Platium prefers)**

 **Rotor was pretty cool. He had a cool backstory, and fun personality. I just didn't see him winning these Games, and I try to do something bad to each alliance in a system. He was really hard to kill, since he wasn't near anything deadly, but he punched someone. The Gamemakers are on high alert, the dude wasn't attacking, and he never touched Rotor, so RIP little dream dude. Thank you to Platrium/Winter's Writing for Rotor, who helped me learn another way to write.**

 **IMPORTANT NOTE FOR ANYONE WHO STILL HAS (a) TRIBUTE(s):**

 **Please send in a reason (or a couple of reasons) why they should win. It may or may not affect their placement (probably won't, tbh), but I'm planning something in an upcoming chapter. If you don't send one in it isn't instant death, but I will make up a reason and it won't necessarily be cool.**


	44. Moral Support

**Vispasian Ginger (President of Panem)**

"Attention, tributes!" I called into my loudspeaker. I could have used a normal microphone, but now and then, a president had to be dramatic. I didn't think my position of power was in any danger, but it was better safe than sorry. "Today, we will be having a feast at the President's mansion. Attendance is mandatory. You may bring your weapons. You do not have to find your way here. Just wait. People have been sent to gather you. You will know who they are because they will be the first people to approach you about this. All other Capitolites, including Hunters, are strictly prohibited from pretending to be one of the officials. Hunters cannot attack anyone until the feast is over. " I knew the Hunters would listen to me about the rules. Just like the tributes, there were chips in their heads. If one of them was to step out of line here, I could easily end their life. I didn't want to kill a Capitolite, but I couldn't let anyone break the rules.

I was standing outside my mansion in one of my nicest suits. It was white, with a black undershirt. If I wore black with a white undershirt, I would be bland, something Capitolites were not supposed to be. I had on my nicest dress shoes and my nice red tie. I figured I would be overdressed, but there was nothing wrong with that. The tributes wouldn't be surprised that the president was richer than they were any more than some of them already did, so they could deal with me keeping up appearances. Some of them might even understand.

To no one's surprise, Lumen was the first person to arrive. He was patted down my bodyguards, then allowed to walk toward me. No weapons were confiscated from him, since I had already confiscated his weapons. I said that tributes could bring their weapons, but that didn't mind they were allowed to use them. He smiled and waved at me, and I smiled and waved back. He was a rulebreaker, but I wasn't going to get my hands dirty there. It could be argued that he wasn't. I pointed him to Draco Stilleto, my Head Gamemaker, who had been assigned to lead everyone into the dining hall. Draco was able to kill anyone who attacked him with a click of a button, so I figured he was safe.

The next people to arrive were the Careers. They were much more vocal about being patted down than Lumen had been, especially when tens of weapons were taken off of them. _So you found the weapon stash._ Once they realized that nothing would stop my bodyguards from doing their job, all of the Careers quieted down. They were passed on to me, and I smiled and waved at them.

"Hello! I am President Ginger. Since you are tributes, and therefore esteemed, I will permit you to call me Vispasian. Welcome to my home." I would have asked who they were, if they hadn't been tributes. Introducing myself to them was only a formality. They knew who I was, and I knew who they were. "This is Mr. Stilleto. He will lead you to the dining hall. Do not attack anyone until the feast is over. Your weapons will be returned to you after the feast."

Nacelle and Kenzie arrived next, in the same car, although they appeared to want to be anywhere else. When they were patted down I noticed that their only weapon, shared between them, was a rope. I could fix that after the feast. I gave them the same spiel I had given the other tributes, then waited for others. Rodney arrived, and he dropped a huge bag full of stuff on the ground before being patted down. _You know what you're doing,_ I noted. The final tributes to arrive were Scorcha and Ashley. They were sighing and muttering to each other, but they were lucky. I was going to walk them in to the feast myself, meaning they would get more time than the others to convince me to favorite them. I wasn't supposed to favorite people, but who was going to stop the President herself from being a rulebreaker?

"Welcome, all of you! I hope you have all been introduced, but just in case, these are the tributes. This is Marcelene Chaplin, this is Draco Stilleto, and this is Cordelia Stuart. In the lovely sundress we have Marjoram Thyme, and Saffron Meg is wearing the blue dress. I don't know what style that is, exactly," I said, smiling at everyone. _My smile is going to break._

"We're super excited to host you! It's been so long since I've seen all of you. Gosh. How are y'all?" Marcelene asked, and I begrudged her freedom. She didn't have to pretend to be perfect.

 _Wait a second. All of these people except one are about to die, and your head people don't care._ I was, by nature, a proper person, but not nearly that perfect. I sat down in my chair and slouched a little, and Stilleto, Stuart, Thyme, and Meg followed suit. Apparently my breaking form was official permission for everyone in the room to break form.

"Would the chefs please serve us? I'm sure many of us are very hungry," I said, well aware that some of the tributes hadn't eaten in days. "We've seen your plight, and we won't judge. Most of you won't care, but just in case, eat how you want. We don't have or need perfect manners. Only a strictly edited and personally approved version of this will be aired."

I sat back and watched as platter after platter of food was brought to us. We had proper appetizers, but I didn't touch those. I had no intention of throwing up to eat more, like some of the lower class Capitolites, and I knew that the main course and desserts would be far better than the firsts. The tributes dug in at first, and I grinned a bit when the Careers broke. They started off with their napkins on their laps, using their silverware properly, but when the outer-District tributes kept taking tons of food before they could get to it, they slowly broke down and started eating quickly. I could see them filling up before the main courses even came out. Meats and drinks galore were served, and I allowed the tributes one glass of champagne each, even though they were underage. They could live a little before they died, and most of them spat it back into their cups when they thought I wasn't looking.

"All right. This has been quite the meal, but I suppose you want to know why I've gathered you here," I said once the desserts had been served. The eating was slowing as tributes filled up, but I knew they wouldn't stop eating until I stopped them. As I expected, the tributes looked up when I spoke, and they all stopped eating. My partners leaned in when I spoke, knowing that we were getting to the exciting part of the feast. "I would like each of you to tell us why you should win. We're all very interested in your reasoning, and we may or may not have private bets going on who will give the best reasons. Please be honest, as this will not affect your placement. I prefer not to get involved in these Games very much."

"I can agree with that!" Lumen yelled, and I caught myself chuckling slightly. The President was _not_ supposed to laugh during formal events. Then again, a bunch of District kids and close friends hardly counted as formal.

"To keep this clean, I vote we go in order of District, male then female. It just makes things easier," Tourmaline said. "If you agree." I respected her diplomacy, even though I knew that there were almost as many Careers as non-Careers. It would hardly be a vote. All of the tributes nodded, though, so it didn't matter.

"Well, I'm the One female. I think I should win because Vibrant has it out for me, and that would be a huge screw-you to him for tarnishing my reputation. I did not cheat. Since I'm here, I made a tape about that whole fiasco. If I die, will you release it for me, Miss Ginger?" Tourmaline asked. I took the tape she offered me, while my friends oohed and aahed.

"I will have to screen it, but I will consider your request. Thank you for your reasoning," I said, holding the tape. I wasn't supposed to fangirl over Careers, but a bit of excitement that no one else had was pretty interesting.

"All right! As the Two male, I'm up next. I think I should win because it's my only chance to learn about the world. Like a lot of Careers, I was thrown into the Academy without a choice. I've been pressured into this my entire life, and it stinks. Being Reaped must suck, too, but I wish my parents would calm down and let me be a kid instead of training me to murder them," Wolf said, and I admired his boldness. He had a point.

"Two female! I think I should win because it's a cool underdog story. Before you groan, since I'm a Career, let me explain. My parents died, and my aunt abused me. The world stank, so volunteering was pretty much my only choice. Sorry about killing your friends, but I'm stuck now. Good luck to all of you," Valerie said, and I smiled at her. Wishing her opponents luck was definitely a brave thing to do.

"I'm Lumen! I think I should win because A) You're cool with me, Vispasian. Thanks for not killing me yet. B) I could do a lot of good in Three if I win. I could be a super cool inventor or something, and then Three would be way better. And the Capitol would be, too, Ms. Ginger," Lumen said. I laughed a little bit at him. Even though he killed one of my precious Hunters, I had to admit that he was a cool guy. I was almost rooting for him despite that.

"Okay! I'm Scorcha, and I'm happy I've had so much time to think. I think I should win because the Games have forced me to grow a lot. I used to be a cocky jerk, and here I am, actually caring about Ashley. If I get back to Three I'll try to right my wrongs, but there are a lot of those, so it'll take a while. Good luck to everyone, I guess," Scorcha said. I smirked. She _had_ been a jerk, but it was cool of her to say she was wrong, even if she wasn't straightforward about it.

"Wow? I'm next? I guess it'll be cool if I win because I came into these Games with the sole intention of protecting Rotor. Yeah, I was Reaped, but I wanted him to get out. If I win now I'll be forced to face that, and I'll grow in ways I could never have imagined. So, just maturing reasons. It sounds lame, now, after all of you," Nacelle said. I didn't think it sounded lame. That was an interesting plight.

"I think I should win because I've been through a lot. First, my brother died, then I got over drugs, and now I'm trying to win the Games. It really was hard for me to stay off drugs when I stumbled into a huge supply of morphling, but that actually made me stronger. Sorry, Tourmaline. And the other Careers, but you didn't see that happen," Rodney said, and I nodded at him. It was an odd reason to win, but something that inspirational deserved a chance.

"Sorry about Zeke, Rodney," Tourmaline said, and he shrugged.

"Somebody had to die," Rodney said casually, but anyone with eyes could tell that he wasn't that calm.

"That's really cool, Rodney. I thought I had seen you around in the clinic. I think I should win because I'd be a super-cool mentor, because I need to see more of the world, and because Captain Panem isn't supposed to die until he takes out Alloy Sir. Also, Scorcha, you're super cool. It's hard to admit you've been a jerk, so you go, girl," Kenzie said, grinning like an idiot. I couldn't stop myself from grinning back.

"Hm. It's hard to say why I should win. I'd say I should win because either me or Scorcha has to remember our allies in ways that they can't remember us, and because the Games have helped me grow, too. It's kinda weak, but at this point, I'd almost rather have someone else win. You know, if it didn't mean dying," Ashley said, looking down at her hardly-eaten ice cream. I frowned at her. It would be nice if she could let someone win without dying. _That could make an interesting twist someday._

I stood up and clapped my hands together. "All right, tributes! Please wait here while we discuss each of your reasons why you should win. Do not attack each other, though each of you seem pretty cordial already. If you need more food just call for an Avox. We appreciate it if you are polite, even though Avoxes are servants. We will see you once we are done discussing."

"I say Kenzie. She's just super cute, and Captain Panem _does_ need to defeat Alloy Man," Marcelene said, draped across my couch. I nodded.

"Honestly, I think Lumen's out of the running. He killed someone, so I can't well let him get a prize," I said, sighing. "He's a cool kid, though."

"I like Wolf's. It's a good point of view on Careers, and it's a good point. Kids deserve a life," Saffron said, and Marcelene shrugged. It was a decent point.

"I agree with Marcelene. Even if Wolf wins, some other kid won't get a life because of that. We really shouldn't have asked that. We're being forced to see tributes as people," Cordelia said.

"What do you mean, being forced to see them as people? I've always thought of them as people. Anyways, I vote Wolf. He's so honorable. I feel like if he doesn't win, he'll die protecting someone. He's a cool dude," Marjoram said. I smiled at her honesty. It took bravery to say that all tributes are people, but she was right about that. My hold on power was not pretty.

"This is such a drag. Ginger obviously gets deciding vote. No offense, Ginger. Anywhom, I say Kenzie. She's cheery," Draco said, and I sighed. Either I caused a tie, or Kenzie won, which lost me the bet.

"Ugh. I can't well cause a tie. I guess I vote Kenzie, even though Wolf is cool. I've give him a booby prize. Anyways, let's go tell Kenzie," I said, standing up. Cordelia was grinning at me, and I sighed. As President, I got to deliver the news that I lost my dang bet. I thought Tourmaline could pull through better than that.

"All right, tributes! If Wolf, Lumen, and Kenzie could please join us back here. Nobody worry. As we've said, this won't affect your placements," I said, plastering my smile back on.

"What the heck?" Wolf asked, looking around. I could see how tense he was, and I sighed. _I just told you that this wouldn't affect your placements._

"Okay, tributes! We have voted on who had the best reasons to win. Lumen, you didn't even place. I brought you back here because I want to talk to you. Wolf, you got second. Congratulations, kind of. Because of this, you and your allies will be allowed to take a bag of food from here. The bags will be provided by me. Yay for you! Kenzie, I'm sure you can tell, but you've won. Because of this, we have a special surprise, but I'd rather show you than tell you." I nodded to Cordelia, who walked over to a door at the end of the room. She pulled it open, and immediately, Kenzie burst into tears.

* * *

 **Kenzie O'Donnell (14) D6F**

"Oh my GOSH! I didn't think I'd ever see you again. I've missed you so much! So much has happened. How did you get here?" I cried, my arms draped around Mrs. Lizzie O'Donnell, my mother. "How on earth did you get here?"

"My Kenzie. My gorgeous, precious little Kenzie. Oh my gosh, we've missed you Kenzie," my mom said to me, squeezing me tightly. I heard the Capitolites leaving the room. I didn't care if they were in the room or not, to be frank. I got to see my parents, who I thought I was separated from until the end of time. I was crying whether or not seven people were staring at me.

After crying over my mother for about five minutes I moved to my father, squeezing him as tightly as I could. He picked me up and hugged me tightly right back, and I wasn't surprised when I noticed tears rolling down his cheeks. My dad was always such a teddy bear. My dad was hugging me in the middle of the flippin' Capitol, where I was supposed to be dying, not having a lively family reunion.

Once my tears stopped, and I could breathe again, I unwrapped myself from my father's neck. He slowly let go of me, and I led us over to the couch. My parents had me sit in the middle, which I would have done whether or not they had made me. I didn't want to be apart from either of my parents until I was forced to, which I hoped would take a while.

"How did you even get here? How has home been? Is my cosplaying group doing well?" I asked, knowing that none of those questions really mattered. Even if I had just been sitting there, between my parents, it would have been the happiest moment of my life. This was better than my first Christmas. This was better than my first comic book, birthday, or roleplay. I was with my parents.

"President Ginger shipped us in. Every tribute's parents were in the hovercraft we were in, so we assumed something was wrong. The top ten interviews normally happen in the Districts. Anyways, she told us we were going to the Capitol, but she wouldn't tell us why. I never assumed it could have been as important as this. I never thought it could be this great," my mom explained to me. Tears were rolling down her eyes again, and I couldn't blame her for sobbing. She must have thought I was dying, but I was seeing her.

"When Ginger called the feast, I thought I was going to die. Mandatory attendance feasts are never a good thing. I'm so happy that this was it. Mom, Dad, I'm going to win these Games. I'm going to make it back home again, and we're going to have another one of these moments. It just has to happen now. The Capitolites think I'm going to win. They say I have the best reason, anyways. They're rooting for me. I can make it through this," I said, leaning on my father. My mother was already leaning on me, so I couldn't well lean on her.

"I know you can, baby. You're already so close to this. You don't deserve this crud, but you're going to pull through. I just know it, hon. You've made it this far. We're going to have you forever. You got this, baby," my dad said, and I noticed that he had started crying again, too. I was crying with the rest of them, just when I thought I had run out of tears. I stopped talking after that. I didn't need to say anything anymore. I didn't want any more words. I just wanted to cuddle my parents again.

I jumped when Ginger walked into the room. I grabbed onto my mom, who grabbed onto me. My dad wrapped his arms as far around both of us as he could reach, and we all looked at the president. I couldn't let go of my parents yet. It had only been a couple of hours. She couldn't plan on separating us again already.

"You can all calm down. None of you have to leave yet. I've been talking with Lumen, and he helped me realize that a couple of hours is not nearly enough for a proper reunion. Since this isn't a proper introduction to the Capitol yet, I will be allowing all of the tributes to spend the night in my house. There are plenty of rooms to go around. Your parents can either stay in your room or the room beside you, but they will be staying with you all through today and tomorrow. All the tributes will be staying here until early morning, the day after tomorrow. You will be able to eat and sleep as much as you want. And, Kenzie, you will get to spend time with your parents. Enjoy your stay in my home!" Ginger told us. I was so impressed by how long she could talk that I almost didn't catch her saying that I had a full twenty-four hours with my parents.

"Also, Kenzie, I've given all weaponless tributes, except Lumen, a weapon. Scorcha asked for a pocketknife, so I also offered her some food, and Ashley asked for a hatchet. Obviously, I'm not giving them their weapons until they leave. What would you like, Kenzie?" Ginger asked me. I flinched from the question. It was an annoying reminder that I only had twenty-four hours before I had to go back to trying to live.

"Could I have throwing stars?" I asked. I wasn't adept with throwing stars, but I wasn't adept with anything. I may as well choose a cool weapon.

"That can be arranged. I will give you two. Enjoy your time with your family, Kenzie."

"I definitely will."

* * *

 **Here you have it! This is very possibly my longest chapter ever. This is not an official Running Man thing, but I got the idea for a feast, and things just fell into place. Now you know why I wanted reasons to win from everybody. Here's to chill chapters!**


	45. Sleepover

**Note: Mahi was at the feast. I forgot to write him since LCS can't well send in reasons to win. We're lucky I remembered Wolf. Mahi should win because he's happy and Icy needs him. Kenzie still wins the competition.**

* * *

 **Wolf Krieg (18) D2M**

"What's up? What did Ginger need?" Tourmaline asked me as soon as I walked back into the dining area. I smiled.

"Apparently, it was a competition. Whoever gave the best reason got a prize," I replied, calmly milking the moment. Careers were supposed to be dramatic, after all.

"What did you win? Why was Kenzie there? How's Lumen?" Valerie asked, coming over to me. I sat down between Mahi and Valerie, who had scooted over to make room for me.

"I got second, apparently. That means we get some of the leftovers, which is pretty neat," I replied, finally proud of myself. It was just food, but we needed that.

"Oh! Gosh, that's great! There didn't seem to be any of that in the Ga- Our hideout," Valerie said, catching herself just before she said where we were staying. I didn't think it really mattered if she told anyone. There were only six outer-District people left. They were in no position to launch an attack on the Careers.

"We should go find our rooms, since we're staying the night," I said nonchalantly. I didn't want to make it clear just how excited I was for one more safe night. Of course, I was excited to be spending time in the President's mansion. It was unlike anything other than the Games building, and it had a level of elegance different from even that. The walls were gorgeous marble, and there were deep red curtains on the windows. I wondered what the personal rooms would look like if the dining room was so fancy. But my main priority was the fact that we had a twenty-four hour period of safety from anything the Arena could throw at us. We had food, water, and shelter, for one more night.

"I can help you with that," Draco said, standing up. "You probably don't really know your way around here."

Valerie nodded. "That would be nice! Do we get one room, or do we get one per person?"

"Ginger told me to make sure you get conjoined rooms. You'll get one bed each," Draco said, walking away from us. I followed him, and everyone else followed my lead. I smiled. I was the leader of the Careers. I really did have a chance.

* * *

 **Scorcha Bellamy (14) D3F**

"I guess staying here was worth being back in the center of the Capitol," I said to Ashley. I pretended to be considering it, but that statement wasn't questionable. The President's mansion was one of the prettiest buildings in the Capitol, and Hunters weren't allowed to attack us. The Careers weren't, either, but we had been away from them. At least, Ashley seemed to think we were safe on the outer edge. I figured I could trust her instincts.

"This is so cool! She has one of the wall buttons from the building! And feel these pillows. And this bed! This is way better than sleeping in an alley," Ashley yelled back from her room. We were both settling into our own rooms, as if we had any intentions of staying separated for the night. We were two teenage girls with fancy rooms and huge beds. It was only a matter of time until our unannounced sleepover started.

"Get in here!" I yelled to Ashley, positioning myself beside the door between our rooms. I had the biggest pillow in my room in my hands, and I was already in pajamas Ginger had left on our beds. I wasn't surprised that she knew my size. She knew the stylists that had made my outfit.

"Coming!" Ashley yelled right back at me. She walked in through the door, pulling it open toward herself. As soon as she was in range, I hit her in the face with my pillow. For a second a shock passed through my head, and I realized that I was still being watched. Ashley jumped backward from the pillow, and I jumped backward from Ashley.

"Nobody's going to die from a pillow to the face!" I yelled out, not sure if whoever was watching me could hear me. "She's an ally!" I was off-guard and Ashley hit me in the back of the head with a pillow. When she didn't die instantly, I turned around, ready to officially wage war.

"That was so mean! I was coming into your room. Peasant," Ashley yelled at me, hitting me square in the face.

"All's fair in love and war!" I hit Ashley right back, advancing toward her. I was slowly backing her into a wall, where I'd be able to easily get at her. She turned around and sprinted away from me, darting around the room.

"You can't hit me if you can't catch me!"

"Coward! Get back here and fight like a man!" I chased her down, but Ashley turned and hit me before I got a chance to hit her. _We are going to burn all of the calories we just ate._

* * *

 **Nacelle "Cell" Hall** **Aeolius (16) D5F**

 _Wow. This room is really neat. I wonder how the President keeps everything so perfect. Why even bother? This is the only place in the world where everything is neat. Rotor would love it here. He loves things neat. Loved. Rotor's gone but you're not, so shut up about him and focus on yourself. You could steal some of this food. You could steal this pillow. It's not like Ginger would care._ My thoughts were horribly scattered. I couldn't have that happen. The Hunger Games were not the place to be distracted.

 _But the President's mansion is. This isn't the Games, not for the next day. So mourn._ I had to mourn Rotor at some point, and my mind was right. I could mourn Rotor in complete safety for the next day, not worried about anything other than getting all of my grief out of my system. _Or you could actually strategize. Now's the perfect time for that._

I settled on what I was going to do. I was going to scream into a pillow for about two hours, and then I was going into the room beside me. I picked up my pillow and shrieked, not even changing clothes. I couldn't be distracted. I shrieked unsatisfying, muffled shrieks, and I sobbed. Tears ran down my face until my eyes were sore, and then I was done. I felt myself calming down. I had taken my chance, and it had done me well. I was calm and collected now. I could wash my face off, and my life could continue.

In the bathroom, I made sure my eyes weren't too red. I waited in there for five minutes, making sure I looked reasonably normal. Then I changed into my pajamas and knocked on the door on the left of my room.

"It's Nacelle. May I come in?" I asked the unseen people in the other room.

"Sure! Watch out for flying pillows!" a voice yelled back at me. I picked up a pillow, then walked back over to the door.

"What's going on in here?" I asked as soon as I opened the door. Feathers were everywhere, and two girls were panting for breath. They both smiled at me, and I found myself smiling back.

"I'm Ashley. This is Scorcha. She sneaked up on me and whapped me with a pillow. This is a battlefield," Ashley explained to me. She stood up, walked over to the bed, and flopped down on it. "What do you need?"

"There are a lot of Careers left, and we're all in the same pace. In a day, it'll be war again. I was wondering if you'd consider another ally. I might be useful," I said, suddenly realizing how desperate I was. I needed a partner, or I was dead meat.

"Cool with me! We'd be back up to seventy-five percent of our original alliance. Just don't throw your pillow at me," Scorcha replied. I smiled.

"We can continue that tomorrow."


	46. Fashion Advice

**Mahi Katao (18) D4M**

"Quick change of plans. I'm gonna get some food made up for all of you at the end of today, before you leave, since I assumed you'd prefer that over day-old leftovers," Ms. Chaplin said to us, seemingly looking for our approval. I nodded.

"We don't really care, ma'am. This was great!" I said. The night spent in the Capitol's finest bed was wonderful, and we were sitting at a breakfast fit for a monarch. Even if we didn't get leftovers, we had eaten so many calories in just the one night that we wouldn't need to eat again for a while.

"I think that's fine for all of us!" Wolf said, after Tourmaline and Valerie nodded. He stuffed his face full of heavenly pancakes once he was done speaking, leaving the rest of us to take over the discussion.

"Do you think we should head to the main room?" Valerie asked. "The other tributes sound like they're in there. It might be worth checking out the competition."

Tourmaline shook her head. "We know where they are. We're gonna be fine. I think we should plot for Hunters. They all know where we are now. Vispasian probably hasn't told them exactly when we're going to be released, but they still know our positions. We need a plan."

"Hm... Well, we have a place to stay with Icy, once this is over. And we'll all fight for each other, for a while. And we're evenly matched against them. There were four of them, right?" I said, trying to figure out how to do this. The Hunters were, apparently, armed, like a lot of the tributes we needed a good plan.

"I guess. I think we should fight in teams. You and Wolf, me and Valerie. And, if no Hunters are nearby, we should still try to wreak havoc. Get rid of a bunch of tributes while we can. Make sense to you?" Tourmaline asked. Wolf nodded around another mouthful of food, and Valerie shrugged. I smiled.

"Sounds good to me. These Games are almost over," I said, and the realization of that sank in. We all said we would fight for each other, but that had to stop soon enough. I hoped we would be the final four. Wolf was cool, Valerie was cool, and Tourmaline was cool. I didn't want any of them dead.

* * *

 **Kenzie O'Donell (14) D6F**

I walked out of my room, feeling lonely, toward the main dining area. It was where the feast had been held, and I was hoping it was where the Capitolites normally had breakfast. More importantly, I was hoping it would be where the other outer-District kids were eating. I wasn't up for being a loner. Most of the Capitol was interested in me, but I wasn't an introvert on anyone's scale

"Hey! What are you doing here, Kenzie?" Ashley asked, as soon as I walked into breakfast. She was eating waffles, Scorcha was eating sunny-side-up eggs, Rodney was popping hard-boiled egg after hard-boiled egg into his face, and Nacelle was sitting between the two other girls, quietly eating pancakes from both of their plates. She didn't look up when I walked into the room.

"I was looking for some food, and hopefully some allies," I said, wondering what Nacelle had said about me. Did she say that I had gotten Rotor killed? Had she told both of my best chances that I was a traitor?

"Safety in numbers! You're in if Ashley and Nacelle don't mind," Scorcha said, finally taking a break from dipping toast into her egg yolks. Ashley shrugged, and I stared at Nacelle, anxiously waiting for her response. When she didn't make one, I made my way over to Scorcha and Ashley, hoping that majority would rule even if Nacelle didn't accept me.

"Nacelle," I said, staring at an empty plate an Avox had set in front of me. "I didn't mean to get Rotor killed. I just wasn't expecting anyone to touch me."

"I know. I finished mourning Rotor for now, I guess. I'm fine with you joining the alliance, but I can't really say I'll fight to the death for you, or anything. It's a bit sore. I don't hate you, though, Amazing Lady," Nacelle replied, and I smiled. Ashley and Scorcha were exchanging confused glances, but I didn't care about that. Nacelle was cool with me. I had gotten three new allies.

* * *

 **Lumen Hal (17) D3M**

"Ms. Ginger?" I asked, knocking on the wall beside the president's wide-open door. "Can we keep talking?" My conversations with the president were pretty interesting. She assumed I was dead meat, and I knew I pretty much had been since the Faye incident. That being said, there was no point in my allying, so I could spend an entire twenty-four hours chatting with someone thousands of people dreamed of meeting, or influencing.

"Sure! I'm trying to decide what dress to wear to my next meeting. Which one do you think?" Ginger asked, showing me one huge, red dress, covered with glitter and studs, and one form-fitting black dress.

"Is it formal, semi-formal, or black tie?" I asked, only having a vague idea of what those words meant. I was pretty sure semi-formal was the most chill of the three.

"I don't even remember. Normally my Avoxes take care of that for me, but they're busy cleaning up after you, and making all of the tributes breakfast, so none of them have been able to help me. I haven't even done my makeup yet, and my hair isn't styled, because people keep worrying about Faye, and their safety, and this feast," Ginger said, lying down on her bed. With how stressed she was, it seemed I was lucky that she was dressed.

"Hm... Three is not the best place to get fashion advice. Let's see... Use the black dress. Black goes with everything, and it's much more understated. Keep the red one around for cool parties. I can't help you get one of the cool Capitol styles, but I can do a braid or something. As for makeup, just use some mascara and a tinge of highlight around your cheekbones. You already look nice, and you want things to be understated. In the Capitol, that's a big statement," I said, throwing ideas out like I knew what I was speaking about. Everything I said seemed logical enough.

"Lumen, you are a lifesaver. Poor choice of words, sorry. Do you know any cool braids? That's way better than nothing," Ginger said, standing up. "Will you turn around? It's dumb to do your hair and then change."

I nodded and turned around, then went back over to the president when I was called. "Stand facing the mirror, a little bit in the light." I started braiding Vispasian's hair, using fancy techniques we used to make wires look cool for Capitolites. Then I sat on her counter and had her lean over, helping her put on her makeup. I put on black mascara and the highlight she told me she usually used, then a bit of lip gloss. She had really pretty lips, but shiny things were cool.

"I swear, I'm not usually this useless. The Games aren't as stressful for me as they are for you, but they're still stressful. Especially when I'm an idiot that lets tributes mingle with Gamemakers. I'm gonna get assassinated, I swear. That doesn't leave this room, by the way. I would have to kill you, then, and I'm starting to like you." I nodded. I was starting to like her, too.

* * *

 **We don't ask how Lumen knows this much about fashion. We just accept that he is cool.**

 **On a related note, Lumen is getting pretty close with the president. There goes that bit of tension.**


	47. SUPER IMPORTANT QUESTION

**I have a small sub-plot planned, but it involves breaking the rules of the Games. This is the reader's story, too, so I figured I should ask YOU! Please PM/review whether or not you think it's okay for the President to break the rules and play favorites. Don't worry about saying the right thing or anything. I won't kill your tributes over your answer.**

* * *

 **Tatiel Cardo (Moose Owner)**

 _RIP, Moose. A good moose you were. A creative namer I was not. You served me well, protecting me from puddles, rain, and pretty much anything else. How were you to know that you weren't allowed to attack tributes? How were you, an ignorant moose, supposed to know that those were tributes at all? All you knew was that they were creepy and I was near them, but now you're in the ground. You've served me well, and I'll never forget you._


	48. Did Somebody Say Break the Rules?

**Eight people got in to me before I started writing this, which I figured is enough for me to know whether you approved.**

 **BY THE WAY! I just wiped my POV count. It was outdated, but it seemed to be pretty near even, so I decided we were close enough. If anyone seems to have been forgotten after this chapter, just hmu. I'm always up for (polite) critique.**

* * *

 **Lumen Hal (17) D3M**

"You know, Lumen, this is one of your last hours here," Ginger said to me. I wasn't looking at her, because she was changing out of her formal dress apparel. While she had been at the meeting, I had just lurked around the mansion, looking around all of the President's pretty doohickeys.

"I guess it is. I'll probably die soon, but not everyone can say that they gave the President herself fashion advice!" I replied, trying to remain lighthearted. I really would probably die soon. Most of the kids wouldn't want to attack me, but the Careers would just see me as another loner. They didn't think anything of straight-up murder. Killing in self-defense didn't count, but I thought it did if you volunteered. I certainly wasn't going to attack one of the Careers, anyways.

"You probably will. Dang, you could have done really well. Avena might even have allied with you. You could have just saved her and left," Ginger said, staring at the ground. I had t agree with her. My wild attack had been a bad idea.

"I guess I made a mistake. Happens all the time. Good luck being President, though. I don't know how you'll survive without me," I said, chuckling. She had advice from everyone, but she had chosen to take my advice. Maybe she was just as bright as I was.

"Maybe I won't have to..." Ginger replied absentmindedly. "It might work."

I stared at Ginger, trying to decide what she meant by that. "What do you mean? I'll either die or go back to Three."

"We could fake your death. Say you tried to attack me, have a cannon go off, and there here you are. You could stay here, and we could just chill together. As long as the Districts think only one person lived, the Games still fulfilled their purpose. You'd live here, mostly in my mansion. We'd have to change up your face a little, but the Capitol is good at that. You wouldn't get any contact with the Districts, though," Ginger said, and I considered. I could either risk it all, or I could have safety. I was choosing whether I could see my family ever again. Then again, I couldn't win. I couldn't live. I was a murderer.

"I'll take you up on that offer. Better than going out there, when you made sure Hunters would be around." Ginger seemed amused that I had figured out her master plan. We were cornered, and the Games were almost over.

* * *

 **Tourmaline Addels (18) D1F**

"Here goes nothing," I said to all of my allies as we walked out of the mansion. Ginger had told us that Lumen was dead, hence the cannon, and informed us that we would join him if we attacked the others before we were allowed to. All of us took her seriously, and we were surprised that Lumen would pull something that dumb. No tribute broke rules. It was just asking to get killed.

"We got this. Don't split up unless we're attacked. We're just fighting in teams," Wolf said. I noticed that this time he didn't check with us twice before deciding that his orders were acceptable, and I didn't mind that. We needed leadership.

 _What the actual frick?_ Waiting outside of the mansion for me was my cheating, lying ex-boyfriend, Vibrant Gellert. I wanted to pretend that he was waiting for all the tributes, but he was staring directly at me, refusing to even blink. I glared right back at him. The other male Hunter, Icy or something, was waiting for us, but I wasn't worried about him. He seemed focused on the easier prey, the all-girl alliance, and I would let him focus on them.

"It's about time this happened," I said to Vibrant, relishing a chance to end our quarrel for once and for all.

"Who's that?" Valerie whispered to me. I didn't have time to answer the question. Vibrant raised a gun at us, and both of us had to duck and roll.

"Fight like a man, you coward!" I yelled, knowing just how proud Vibrant was. There was no way he would let me insult his pride like that.

"It won't affect the outcome!" Vibrant screamed back at me. I rolled my eyes. _Cocky as always._

"Then why bother having your reputation even more tarnished? Whore!"

"Don't you dare call me that ever again!" Vibrant raised his gun again, and this time, I watched. It took him three seconds to aim, and it took a second for the ammo to get to where I had been before I ducked.

"Get over here and make me stop!"

"I think I will!" Vibrant shot at me again. I ignored his weapon for the first three seconds, running straight at him, then hit the ground. Valerie noticed what I was doing, and she ran up with me. Both of us ducked in time, and I got up to run at him again.

 _Well heck. I miscalculated._ The thought ran through my mind as Vibrant raised his gun at me again. I was a lot closer now, so I didn't have the four seconds I was supposed to have. I had about two, one of which I had taken running. I felt a force on my back, and suddenly I hit the ground, feeling a weight on top of me. _What on Earth?_

"Looks like your ally made a little mistake," Vibrant said, pretending to be sad. I grinned, wrestling myself out from under her. "Surely you won't make the same."

I lunged. I was only about six feet from Vibrant, so I could grab him from that distance. I did just that. I wrapped my arms around his waist, knocking him down with my weight and, more importantly, knocking the gun from his hands.

"For all this time, you've been hurting me. Now I finally get to hurt you." I didn't bother to aim my gun properly. I just shot it at him. At that distance, I couldn't miss. I relished the fear lighting up in Vibrant's eyes before I pulled the trigger. I didn't care too much for his death, but I wanted him to realize that he wasn't always in control, and that I had won.

* * *

 **Ashley Cavanough Jr. (17) D7F**

 _Well shoot._ Two of the Hunters had shown up to ruin our already finished fiesta. I saw Kenzie grabbing for the throwing stars she didn't know how to use, and I was holding my hatchet. Nacelle had some throwing knives, and Scorcha had a pocketknife. I figured we were pretty well guarded, since there was still one loner left, that loner being Rodney. Rodney was holding a bag full of stuff, though, which I figured could be used to kill someone even if he didn't take out a weapon. The one Hunter that was left was hopelessly outnumbered, especially since the Careers were sticking around.

Something flew past my head, and I ducked. I stood up just in time to see another thing whizz past my head. I turned cautiously, making sure that somebody was in front of me, and checked what had been thrown. It had to have been the Hunter that had thrown it; it was some weird icicle that wasn't melting. I didn't know what to make of that, and I wasn't really worried about it. Whatever it was, I had to avoid it, and that was that.

I tried to walk East, since that was the first direction that came to mind. The Careers blocked my path. I tried to go East, since that was the obvious direction, and the Hunter blocked my path. Rodney ran straight ahead of us, dodging the flanks. I shrugged, figuring we could afford the lesser of two evils. I didn't think the Careers would let us take the route Rodney had chosen.

Before I headed toward the Hunter, Nacelle threw a knife at him. He shrugged and threw an icicle at her. Kenzie threw a throwing star at him, and it quickly became clear that we had an arms race ahead of us. Problem was, we had ten projectiles, and the Hunter seemed to be making more while he was standing there. I ran at him, and all three of my allies followed. He threw an icicle and I ducked. Scorcha squeaked, but I ignored that. I had to kill Icy, then take care of my allies.

We cleared the distance before the Hunter had time to throw another icicle. I threw my hatchet up to guard myself, and the icicle bounced off. I raised my hatched to strike, and the Hunter jumped backwards. He slid away, and I realized he had been standing on ice. I shrugged, then turned to check on Scorcha. She was laying on the ground, definitely not all right. I slung her over my shoulders, then took off. We didn't have time to mourn. We had to keep moving.

* * *

 **It has been decided. The President decided Lumen is not a crazy murderer.**

 **10th Place: Lumen Hal - Removed from Games**

 **Ah, Lumen. Absolutely none of this was supposed to happen. Lumen could well have been a Bloodbath, and yet here he is. He was supposed to be "sane" and "logical," and yet he murdered a Hunter. And then he bellyflopped his way to safety. Thank you ItSaCaTwOrLd for Lumen, and to all of my readers for giving me the go-ahead.**

 **9th Place: Valerie Cartwright - Confetti'd to save ally**

 **Valerie was a very cool tribute. She definitely stood a chance, and she was fun to write while she was around. I just needed to slim down the Careers, and Tourmaline couldn't well die during her Vibrant fight. RIP Valerie. Thank you to IVolunteerAsAuthor for Valerie, and for relentlessly campaigning to keep her alive. Maybe another time.**

 **8th Place: Scorcha Bellamy - Icicle'd by Icykill**

 **Ah, Scorcha. The kid I had no idea what to do with. For some reason, I really couldn't get a feel for Scorcha. I couldn't tell if she was snobby or polite, and I made her snobby, and ended up disliking her. She still ended up making it this far, which is cool. She just died from freak accident. With four people, those icicles gotta hit someone. Thank you to later . glader from my story, who was a fine addition. I just wasn't a fine author.**

 **Honorable Mention: 3rd Hunter: Vibrant Gellert - Confetti'd by his own cannon**

 **Vibrant was amazing. I needed high key, crazy Hunters, and Tracee really pulled through. He was insane, he had crazy weapons, and he actually had a backstory and personality, which was more than I required. His backstory was super cool, with his tie-in to Tourmaline that would actually work. I probably wouldn't have killed him, but he was submitted solely to be killed by Tourmaline. He was great for killing people, and he left his mark. Thank you to Tracee for Vibrant, who was exactly what this story needed.**


	49. Shot to the Heart and You're too Late

**Bellepheron Steed (D12Mentor)**

 _I done told that boy he should have eaten more. Maybe then he would have been fit for these Games. Guilt does a lot to you. He shouldn't have killed that girl. And that girl Scorpia. I tried to tell her she should harden herself to the world. There's nothing you can do when you're weak._ I kept thinking thoughts like then when my tributes died. It was another attempt to keep myself from breaking. As long as I was mad at them, I couldn't be sad that they were dead. I could keep pretending that I wasn't a failure of a mentor, and that I wasn't going to be Twelve's mentor forever.

* * *

 **District Twelve**

Twelve hardly noticed Zeke's disappearance. To them, he was just one more kid that wasn't theirs, one more child they didn't have to lose. Norm was fired from his job as soon as Zeke died. His boss knew about Zeke's home life, and knew he couldn't afford to have a jobless father, but without Zeke, his father didn't lose the job. All of the teachers of Twelve missed Scorpia, their little prodigy. Mr. Alden sat up when his daughter died. He sat there, muttering to himself that his pride and joy was gone.

* * *

 **Tellie Cathode (D3Mentor)**

Lumen was gone as soon as he killed that Hunter. I figured he had just finally snapped, like anyone put under as much stress as he was could understandably do. I hoped that whatever he had done to get himself killed, he had done with success. Whether it was putting glue in every doorway or attacking the president, I hoped he left his mark. Scorcha actually had a chance when she died. There were four people there. That icicle could have hit anyone. She was just the only one that didn't notice it in time to avoid it.

* * *

 **District Three**

To most of Three, Lumen was a factory worker. There were plenty of those to go around. His death meant that some homeless kid got a new job. To the Hals, Lumen was light. Jarvis regretted all those moments he had spent competing with his brother, instead of helping him, and Mr. and Mrs. Lumen regretted not being able to keep him out of the factories. Much of Three was less sad than they could have been to see Scorcha gone, but they watched her grow through the Games, and realized just what they had lost. Mr. and Mrs. Bellamy tried to keep themselves together, pretending everything was all right, but they never rejected the food left by their door, or the extra sick days they got from work.

* * *

 ** _Zeke Danbury_ (Rodney Sanchez)**

 _Dang it, kid. If Tourmaline had attacked me, I might have died. That was just luck. You didn't deserve this crud._

* * *

 ** _Jack Xhaca_ (Wolf Krieg)**

 _Sorry I doubted you, Jack. You died to let Valerie live. I'm sure it was as honorable of a death as you could get._

* * *

 ** _Rotor Aeolius Ypsilon_ (Nacelle Hall Aeolius)**

 _Nope. I've mourned you. I'm totally not sad about you being dead anymore. I'm not crying. The Capitol introduced allergens into the Arena._

* * *

 ** _Scorpia Alden_ (Ashley Cavanough Jr.)**

 _Dang it. You weren't supposed to be the one that died. I done said my allies should have won, and what happened? I'm the last one of the original trio. Messing up my plans._

* * *

 ** _Valerie Cartwright_ (Tourmaline Addells)**

 _Good job, Valerie. I wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for you. It's impossible to tell where you are right now, but may you rest in peace. I hope I show up there, too._

* * *

 **Nacelle Hall Aeolius (16) D5M**

Ashley dropped Scorcha a couple of minutes after we started running, after I reminded her that we were supposed to leave the corpses to a hovercraft. I wanted Scorcha to get home, and I really didn't want to be expected to waste energy trying to bury her properly. Ashley couldn't afford to waste that much energy, either. She was the strongest one left in our alliance by far, and we needed her around, at all costs. As soon as we lost her, our alliance was just a sitting duck to the Careers.

"Wait a second. Weren't there four Hunters? I mean, I heard rumors that Lumen killed one of them, but only two showed up. Vibrant's dead, and Icy's where behind us, but where's the third?" Kenzie asked us. I was happy that she was thinking clearly enough to remember that. We would need warning if we were about to get attacked.

"Did somebody say, where's the third? She's right here," someone said, coming out from behind a corner. I jumped and grabbed one of my last knives, and Ashley pulled out her hatchet. I was relieved that Kenzie had thought to pick up some of our weapons before we ran, but I still knew we didn't have enough to stand a chance against a Hunter. We were tired and stressed out. She was fresh, though she looked bored.

Kenzie chucked a throwing star at her. She frowned, but let it hit her. I sighed. That meant she knew we weren't a threat. The Hunter sighed and pulled out a gun. I jumped and ran into an alley. We weren't safe there, but she would have to get closer to us. She did, her gun cocked, and opened fire at us while we were stuck in a small alley.

Three shots hit me, and then they stopped. Ashley had jumped in front of me, muttering something about not being a liar. She threw her hatchet at the Hunter, about five feet from the woman, and she must have done some damage, because the bullets stopped flowing, and I heard something plastic sounding clatter to the ground. I couldn't see what it was until Ashley hit the ground, too.

* * *

 **Rodney "Rod" Sanzhez (18) D6M**

 _Dang Hunters, actually being smart. Dang Careers, trying to bottleneck us. We won't be taken down that easily. Got my bag full of crud. Got my battery. Just gotta make it through six more deaths. Oh, a cannon. That makes it five. Wait, that was close. Is somebody nearby?_

A lot of thoughts were running through my head while I was running from the battlefield. I wasn't going to deal with the crud of all of that nonsense. I was going to deal with the crud of a cannon nearby me. I knew it couldn't be the Careers, because they had a whole Hunter that could slow them down if they followed the outer-District kids. That meant I was approaching the outer-District kids, who I actually wanted to win. Not as much as I wanted myself to win, but if it was them or the Careers, I wanted it to be them. Not the kids that volunteered for this crud. Not the kids that made it so I only had dumb scalpels.

"What's going on here?" I asked when I entered an ally and saw one person standing over two others. She seemed to be freaking out, and she jumped when I spoke. She turned around and pulled a gun on me, and I put my hands up. "I'm not going to hurt you. I have some medicine here. I might be able to help out."

"Why would you help us? You'll die if we live," the tribute spat back. I slowly recognized her as my District partner.

"Because I'd rather have you win than a Career. If those two die, or, I guess one dies, then we're outnumbered. I don't want that," I explained.

"I guess. But let me see that bag, and I'll hand you everything, okay?" Kenzie asked me. I nodded.

"Just put down the gun, okay? There's a lot of blood, and I don't want you killing me if I can't save her."

"Her name is Nacelle. Ashley just died to save her."

I nodded. "A respectable death. Let's see if we can make that worthwhile." I knelt down beside Nacelle and tried to figure out everything that was wrong. I had to stop the bleeding, though even that might not be enough. "Can you hand me some bandages? I'll try to fix her up." Kenzie handed me some bandages, and I started trying to bandage Nacelle's wounds. Nacelle screamed as soon as I started to tighten the bandages, and I jumped.

"All right. She needs painkillers. Can you hand me some morphine? It's clear, and it comes in syringes. There's a whole bunch of it in there. I may have taken every syringe there was in the Training Center." Kenzie fished around in the bag for a bit, then handed me a syringe. I took it and stuck it into Nacelle, then went back to trying to bandage her up. Nacelle started shaking all over the place, and I jumped. _That's not supposed to happen._

"What did you do? Is she dead?" Kenzie asked me. I dropped my work. "I have no idea. Morphine is a painkiller. I distributed it in Six. Let me see the syringe... Well, that's not morphine. That's insulin. That's quite the oops," I said, suddenly realizing that I had just killed Nacelle. _That did not go as planned._

* * *

 **Kenzie O'Donell (14) D6F**

"I didn't mean to do that. I am very sorry. I don't mean to be coarse, but we need to work quickly. We are currently outnumbered. I am going to stand up, and I hope that you will be willing to ally with me, even though Nacelle just died. It was unintentional on both parts, and we need to work together to have any chance to beat the Careers," Rodney said, using a stern and serious tone. I could tell that he was trying not to freak out.

"How can you ask that? She just died," I said, feeling tears running down my cheeks again. "She's just dead."

"She would have died if I hadn't touched her," Rodney said, and I had to agree. She had lost a lot of blood. We needed the bandages he had tried to give her.

A parachute started to fall from the sky, and Rodney took a step back, putting his hands up. "You can grab it," he said, not making any move toward me. The box had a lovely _5_ inscribed on it, which meant it was mine. It had some chocolate and a teddy bear in it, but, more importantly, it had a note.

 _Yo. Morphine is a great painkiller,_ the note said. I glared at the note. I didn't know how it had gotten through filters. It was pretty clearly telling me to ally with Rodney. I sighed. "I guess we can ally. But I'm carrying the bag, and I'm carrying the gun," I said, slinging the bag over my shoulder and picking up the gun. I wanted his help taking out the Careers, but I didn't want to let him have tons of weapons.

"That's fine with me. Let's take shelter in a house for now. You have lots of fans, right? They might let you stay. We can mourn for a while, but then we'll have to plan," Rodney said, seeming honestly upset. I shrugged.

"It's worth a try." It definitely was. People were already swarming us, staring in disbelief at the Hunter, who had a hatchet lodged in her throat. I threw up. I didn't need to see that sight again, especially when I was already surrounded by the corpses of my allies.

"Oh, hun! Come with me. I'll get you all patched up. You need a place to say," some random Capitolite said. I sighed and nodded.

"Thanks," was all I could muster the strength to say. Nacelle had allied with me, despite Rotor getting killed because of me, and she had died. Ashley had died. Scorcha had died. I was a harbinger of death. It was only a matter of time until I died, too. I wasn't sure how much that thought worried me.

* * *

 **7th Place: Ashley Cavanough Jr - Shot by Clariselle**

 **Ashley was a really cool character. It took me a long time to get a feel for her, but I think I finally did start to. I don't think she was supposed to care this much about others, but she really developed into caring about people, and it felt like it made sense. Scorcha dying took a lot out of her. Thank you to TheReaper94 for Ashley, who was a good way for me to improve my writing.**

 **6th Place: Nacelle Hall Aeolius - Insulin Poisoning and Blood Loss**

 **Nacelle was great. At first, she annoyed the heck out of me. She was supposed to go into someone's dreams in a Reaping scene, and I really didn't like that. Then she got to be interesting. She was an obstacle, because she was never my choice Victor, but she was instrumental in development of others, and she had to live a while without Rotor. There isn't much you can do about someone shooting at you and then accidentally getting drugged. I did check this, and if improperly done, an insulin injection kills you. I've been planning this for a you to Winter's Writing for Nacelle, who was really great, despite my first thoughts.**

 **Honorable Mention: 2nd Hunter: Clariselle van Doom - Hatchet to the Throat**

 **Clariselle was pretty interesting. I had a bit of a bad taste for her, because her plan annoyed LCS, which annoyed me in turn. I grew to like her a bit because she was useful. She really wasn't supposed to die, but it had to happen, or this scene wouldn't work. Thank you to Platrium for Clariselle, who was a necessary component of this story.**

 **So, Clariselle not being there wasn't an accident! I didn't mess up for once. Fancy that. I wanted one Hunter not to be there, because it doesn't make much sense to go into a 3 vs 9/10 battle.**


	50. Stone Cold Fox

**Sol Johnson (D5Mentor)**

Nacelle and Rotor actually had a chance. Nacelle could help Rotor, Rotor could help Nacelle, and I actually let myself believe that. Hope finally rose in me once Nacelle made it to the top seven, and then she was just gone. I could believe that it was an honest mistake. Rodney seemed sad. I just couldn't fully comprehend the fact that one mistake had ended the life of my mentee.

* * *

 **District Five**

The workplace was quieter without Rotor and Nacelle. Productivity may have actually gone up, but morale didn't. Everyone missed Rotor's odd daydreams, and people actually found themselves missing Nacelle's snarky retorts. The Aeolius and Ypsilons, close friends, both felt like they had lost two children. Twice as many children as were usually missing from a family were gone, so the District had to work twice as hard to keep things together. The families smiled when condolences were offered, but it would be a long road before they actually got better.

* * *

 **Tourmaline Addells (18) D1F**

Icy ran one way. We casually walked off another. We didn't want to run into him right away, and we figured we could leave the girl alliance alone until we were more recuperated after so much death. I was surprised to find that both Wolf and Mahi were totally fine. They hadn't gotten involved in the Vibrant massacre, and Icy hadn't gone after them. I couldn't understand what they had been doing, unless they were making sure we didn't get attacked from behind. I figured Wolf was doing that, and Mahi was just too dumb to realize that he could have been helping me. He didn't seem to be a smart man.

Two cannons fired, pretty close to each other. That could mean that Rodney found the girl alliance, or that the girl alliance was breaking up. I assumed the former, which would hopefully mean that Rodney was dead. He was our biggest competitor, compared to the small girls, and I knew about his weapon knowledge. He would know exactly what he was doing if any of us got close enough for him to reach us, and most of us preferred close combat. For once, we didn't have as much of an advantage as we could have had. Rodney's bag was full of something, and it could be drugs, weapons, or both. I didn't want to find out.

"That was... something. I guess we should have stuck together. Maybe Valerie would still be around," I said, surprised to find myself upset she was dead. She was an obstacle, but she had died saving me. _I guess I owe her one. Can't pay that back._

"No. I still think we made the right decision. One of us would have gotten shot anyways, and I didn't like the way Rodney was looking at us. He was planning something. It's a good thing we got to keep watch, even if we had to watch out for anyone," Wolf replied. I sighed. They could have just killed Rodney and taken care of us. _He must know what he's doing,_ I tried to tell myself, although I wasn't sure how much I believed it.

"Maybe we should go find Icy. She'd let us chill again, and then we'd be able to pick ourselves up and make a real plan. There are two kids left, and I don't want to deal with any more casualties before I have to," Mahi said. I wasn't sure if he knew what the word casualty really meant, but I nodded. That made sense.

* * *

 **Wolf Krieg (18) D2M**

We started walking towards the Games Building, knowing Icy was somewhere around there. We could find her house once we knew exactly where we were, rather than just having a vague idea. Mahi seemed to know exactly where he was heading, and I let him take the lead. I didn't mind following for a while at all. It was about time that someone else made an executive decision. My last one hadn't gone too well.

"We're gonna get there in no time! Then we'll get rid of the others, and we can draw straws or something to see which one of us wins!" Mahi said. I knew he wasn't bright, but I also knew he wasn't that dumb. He knew that, as soon as the others were gone, we were going to be duking it out the same as if we had never met. We'd actually be more vicious, since we would know each other's strengths and weaknesses. It would be a bloodbath.

"Are you sure you know the way? We could stop and ask directions," Tourmaline said when Mahi turned down an ally and promptly turned around. He shook his head.

"I don't think we need to yet. I just counted wrong," Mahi replied. Tourmaline shrugged, and I shrugged. I was fine with wandering for a little bit. We could clear our heads without worrying about keeping a Capitolite happy.

"What's that?" I asked when I saw something shine on the ground. I bent down to pick it up, confused to feel something wet and cold. "It's summer, isn't it? There shouldn't be any ice or anything."

"It's probably a trap. Let's turn around," Tourmaline said, and Mahi turned with her. I got up off the ground and followed.

Something flew through the air and hit Mahi in the back. It bounced off harmlessly, but that meant it was definitely a trap. I slipped back into leader mode, stepping behind Mahi and Tourmaline. "Get into that alley and run. Try to lose his trail," I said, watching for more icicles. Mahi just stood there, trying to let me go first, and I saw another item flying at him. I shoved him into the alley and followed him, but I felt something sink into my chest. Two more things sank into my back as I turned, and I fell to the ground.

"Mahi, you've gotta win this. I'm not gonna."

* * *

 **Mahi Katao (18) D4M**

Wolf fell onto the ground, and I picked him up. I wasn't the brightest, but I was strong enough to carry him like a sack of potatoes. He said something about not being able to win, but I wasn't going to let that happen. I was going to get him away from whoever was chasing us, and then I would patch him back up. It would be as easy as that, and then we could go back to the Games.

"Quick change of plans. He can make ice, which can trip us up. We're gonna duck around a corner, then ambush him. You take left, I'll take right," Tourmaline said, and I nodded. I took Wolf's sword and turned a corner, ducking down so Icy wouldn't be able to see me.

It didn't take long for Icy to find us. I jumped up and tried to stab him before he had time to throw anything. He slipped away, but not far enough that I couldn't get a slash through his side. He glared for a second, then slid away.

"I already got one of you. You take care of yourselves," Icy called out, skating away from us. I watched as he took a straight path, not dropping my guard until he was out of sight. It took a while, but I figured he was an acceptable distance away.

"All right, Wolf, let's get you patched up," I said, leaning over him. He was pale, but he was still breathing. "What did he do to you?"

"Just go," Wolf panted, but I shook my head.

"I am _not_ letting you die. You are going to be all right. You're going to win this," I said, not able to accept the fact that Wolf was going to die. He couldn't die because of me. He couldn't die because of some dumb Capitol twist.

"Can't... Sharp... Deep..." Wolf panted, barely breathing. I shook my head.

"It can't be too deep. We'll get sponsors or something. You're gonna get through this," I said, surprised to feel tears slipping down my cheeks. Wolf was _not_ supposed to die.

I jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Tourmaline was standing over me, looking down at Wolf.

"He's right, Mahi. We have to keep moving. We don't know when Icy will come back," she said to me. I shook my head.

"I can carry him or something. He'll be fine."

Tourmaline shook her head. "We have to let the hovercraft pick him up. Just look at your shirt. It's entirely covered in blood. He's dead, Mahi." A cannon went off as she spoke, and I was forced to recognize that she was right. My best ally was dead, and that was the end of that.

* * *

 **5th Place: Wolf Krieg - Stabbed by Icy**

 **Quick explanation before the eulogy: Icy had icicle daggers, but he also had weird razor ice skates. Those didn't get described because Wolf was busy dying, but it was requested by Icy's submitted.**

 **Wolf was super cool, in my honest opinion. He was a last-minute submission by LCS, because I was getting impatient. Even though I would have taken anything, LCS still sent someone worth writing. Wolf was a Career, but he was uncertain, and he knew what was going on. He actually should have outlasted Mahi, but LCS specifically asked for Wolf to die protecting Mahi. I thought it fit his leadership character, and now Mahi can feel both sad and stupid. Thank you to LCS for Wolf, who was everything this story needed.**

 **Special Shoutout: 1st Hunter: Icykill - He ain't dead, I just wanted to give him a shoutout. For not dying.**

 **Top four at last! This thing's almost done.**


	51. The Final Countdown

**Note: Nice Capitolites felt bad for Scorpia and her crud, and they got her father proper medicine and therapy. He learning how to handle his depression.**

* * *

 **Cassia Rose (D7Mentor)**

Ashley got so close. I knew Sparrow wouldn't make it home. He was so nice. He wanted to take care of everyone, and keep everyone safe. Ashley actually seemed interested in winning, up until it got to the point where she found an actually nice ally. I knew it was going down the drain once she started making actual friends. That pillow-fight marked the end of her, the end of another possibility for a win.

* * *

 **District Seven**

Seven was a lot quieter without Ashley. There was nobody to keep Noli in her place, or calm Willow down when everything got overwhelming. The Cavanoughs knew they would have to learn to live without her, but they didn't know where to start. Sparrow was more of one to be forgotten, though Savannah would always miss her boyfriend, and the McKrails would wonder how they had lost their little boy.

* * *

 **Totsuki Sugihara (D2Mentor)**

 _Well, dang this, dang that, and dang everyone._ Two had given me their best this year. Valerie was less than perfect, I would admit. She slipped into the background, and I hardly bothered to notice her. Wolf, though, was almost everything a mentor could want. He was a leader, he was trained, and he knew what he was doing. He knew good and well that he was flippin' killing himself and wasting Two's chance at another Victory. _Screw you._

* * *

 **District Two**

Valerie was just another lost volunteer. She wasted Two's chance at Victory, and she was used as a message to all the new mentees. Her aunt and uncle hardly missed a beat over her death, but a small group of friends made it their personal mission to remember her. Wolf was used as a beacon of chance. The Academy used him to show that chance could ruin anything. The Kriegs missed their son, and they were forced to finally realize that their kid wasn't just some fighter. Two worked to help this miss the child they never knew.

* * *

 _ **Wolf Krieg -**_ **(Mahi Katao)**

 _You were so close. We had made it so far. You should have just let me die. You actually knew exactly what to do here. You actually knew exactly what was coming. And you let it hit you to save me._

* * *

 **Tourmaline Addells (18) D1F**

"There's a Hunter nearby, and we know the area where two cannons went off. I say we end this thing now," I said to Mahi. He seemed less than fully interested in what I was saying, but I was trying not to care. If he was distracted he would be easier to kill, which would make it easier for me to end this madness once and for all.

"Yeah, sure. We can go right ahead and do that. Do you have all your weapons and stuff?" Mahi asked, but I could tell he was hardly paying attention to me.

"Yeah, yeah, I have all our boomerangs and slingshots," I said, wondering if he would even notice that neither of us used those weapons. He nodded and followed me when I walked away. I was serious about us getting moving, even if I wasn't serious about our weapons.

There were only so many places our tributes could be. They had to be somewhere in town, but town was nowhere small. They had to be somewhere within walking distance of running distance of the President's mansion, assuming they had taken cover. With somebody like Kenzie around, dead or alive, they had definitely taken cover, which meant we could just work logically. There was a certain radius they had to be within, and we just had to search that radius.

We hit the President's mansion, and I started to spiral it, just like Careers were trained to do. We were trained to slowly cover every single inch of possible ground, and a spiral was the best way to do that. Mahi followed me around quietly, and I really started to worry about him. He was no better than a human shield, moping around the way he was.

"Mahi, you need to brighten up. This is almost done. Can you wait to mourn Wolf for like ten minutes, so we can chill each other and _then_ be sad?" I asked him, knowing it sounded dumb. I didn't care if it sounded dumb. Mahi understood dumb.

"I think so. I know we need to focus," Mahi said, and I knew he really was thinking about his answer. It took him a while to respond, and he seemed completely focused. I figured he was just trying to recover from his crying fit.

"All right. We really got this. There's two of us and two of them. One of us is making it out of here."

* * *

 **Kenzie O'Donnell (14) D6F**

"Frick, frick, frick, what do we do? What can we do?" I was talking as much to myself as I was talking to Rodney. Tourmaline and Mahi were walking around outside our house. While they hadn't seemed to have seen us just yet, there were bound to. They were peeking in every window. Although they were getting some pretty weird looks, and some people slammed doors in their faces, neither of them seemed interested in slowing. It was only a matter of time until they found us.

"Well, we shoot them. They can't kill us if we kill them first," Rodney said to me, trying to open a window. The Capitolite that was housing us casually got up, grabbed some earmuffs, and handed both of us a pair. Then she put some on herself and sat down across the room from us, watching us intently.

"I don't know how to shoot someone! I've been faking it the entire time. I should have shot myself by now," I said, still panicky. I didn't know how to work a gun. I knew that it killed people, and that some Hunter was using it to kill us, and that was as far as my knowledge went.

"Point the gun, pull the trigger. It's as simple as that."

"Isn't it loud? What if I miss?"

"I saw a lot of bullet wounds. That thing shoots a lot. Just press the trigger over and over again. You'll be bound to hit one of them," Rodney said, lowering his tone. I realized I was being pretty loud.

"That one's an automatic. Just hold down the trigger and it'll fire over and over again. We'll get out of the way," the Capitolite said, sipping some tea. Rodney and I stared at her in amazement, and she continued, "What? I was considering being a Hunter, and I needed to do my research. You're lucky you're so cool."

I positioned myself beside the window and waited. Rodney sat on the other side of the window from me. We sat there for long, painful minutes, waiting for everything to finally end. I stared as much at Rodney as out the window, and for good reason. He tensed and pointed out the window, and I low-crawled under the window to get a better shot. I reached up and started firing, hitting Mahi in the chest. Before I had time to adjust my shot, someone stabbed me in the neck.

* * *

 **Rodney Sanchez (18) D6M**

 _Well, that answers the question of what to do about Kenzie,_ I thought, jumping up and closing the window. It wouldn't close all the way, but it would close far enough that Tourmaline's weapon was stuck in a window that used Capitol-strength glass. She glared at me through the glass and I shrugged, looking at both of our fallen allies. Mahi wasn't totally fallen, but he was bleeding a lot, and he wasn't even trying to get back up.

Tourmaline dropped her weapon and pulled away from the window, flipping me off. I kept my weight on the window until she started to walk to Mahi, then I lunged to where Kenzie was dying.

* * *

 **Tourmaline Addells (18) D1F**

 _There's more than one way to skin a cat._ Rodney had my spear stuck in a window. I might have been able to use it as a lever, forcing the window up, but Rodney had a pretty good angle on me. He could just force weight directly onto the window. Instead, I left the spear. I didn't need it, and Rodney certainly didn't. I just had to find a new angle. I went over to Mahi, jumping when his and Kenzie's cannons went off, and grabbing the sword he had taken from Wolf.

 _There's more than one way to get into a house._ The door obviously wasn't an option. Mahi would be guarding that thing as well as he was guarding the window. It was a big house, though, and I could find a way in Rodney hadn't.

* * *

 **Rodney Sanchez (18) D6M**

 _Well crud. She left._ I couldn't just shoot Tourmaline if she wasn't there. She would probably be trying to find another way into the house. I knew there were more ways than I could possibly guard. Capitolites seemed to like huge windows, fancy doors, and hundreds of ways to get into a frickin' house. That just meant I had to make it pointless to get into the house. Tourmaline thought she was chasing me, but I was the one with a gun.

I hopped out the window after Tourmaline turned a corner, then started making my way toward her. I had to walk quietly, or she would ambush me. She was around the corner just as much as I was.

* * *

 **Tourmaline Addells (18) D1F**

 _Do I hear footsteps?_ I thought I heard the window creak, and I thought I heard footsteps. I thought I heard someone trying to sneak toward me, the fabric of their shirt rubbing against the wall as they tried to approach me quietly. I thought I heard someone about to turn a corner, and I thought it was about time for these Games to end. I sat down, around the corner from Rodney, and waited for him to get into range.

As soon as I saw Rodney, I lunged for him. I stabbed him through the stomach with my sword, knowing that could be deadly, and tried to spin away from him.

* * *

 **Rodney Sanchez (18) D6M**

 _I am many things, but quiet is not one of them._ Tourmaline stabbed me right in the dang chest, but I shrugged it off. She tried to pull the sword out of me, but I grabbed on to it. She dodged out of the way anyways, but I shrugged again. I took my gun in the good hand, the one that wasn't clenching onto a sword, and starting firing wildly. It could only be so long before I bled out, but a bullet in the head killed you pretty quickly. A cannon that I decided was Tourmaline's went off a few seconds after I started wildly firing, and a few seconds before I had time to die.

* * *

 **Tied for 4th/3rd: Mahi Katao - Shot repeatedly by Kenzie**

 **Mahi was also LCS's, also great, and also doomed from the start. I loved this guy. He was not based off of Maui, from Moana, though I often joked to LCS about it. He was just a fun (and somewhat stupid) take on a doofy Career, and I really liked him. He was just way too dumb to win, and there were other, better Victors. Thank you to LCS for Mahi, and you should probably stop making good characters for my stories.**

 **Tied for 4th/3rd: Kenzie O'Donnell - Stabbed in neck by Tourmaline**

 **I say tied for fourth/third because placement matters for some people, and neither of them died instantaneously. Anyways, Kenzie was totally great. She was tons of fun for me, and I loved writing her. She made many dumb anime and comic book references possible. She was popular enough to have a chance, but she had no business even making it to third. Thank you to aceswims for Kenzie, who did defeat some opponents.**

 **2nd Place: Tourmaline Addells - Shot in head/neck/everywhere by Rodney**

 **Tourmaline was great. She used a storyline only possible in this type of story, and it was beautiful. She was created with an arc that I could easily write, which is great, there was more to her than just an ex (although the ex was kinda major, since she wasted him), and she was a cool Career. Like Kenzie, she totally had a chance. She just wasn't my final choice. Thank you to Tracee for Tourmaline, who was totally cool. Go resubmit her, or something. Prologue: Ginger released the tape, and Vibrant's reputation was ruined. Hers was totally restored, and she'll be remembered for the hero she was.**

 **Victor: Rodney Sanchez**

 **What can I say? I've been planning this for a long time. Originally, he was going to win by shooting oxygen into someone. Then, he was going to win via insulin. He was my first Victor that I wanted to win from the start, and I think he was actually a good decision. Rodney has a cool personality, and he learned a lot. He learned to love, lost, and learned to handle that loss. He had a huge variety of strengths that only work in this specific Arena, so he had to have a bit of chance to win this. Thank you to 66samvr for Rodney, who is totally awesome, and congratulations on a Victor!**


	52. Coronation

**Quick update on my life: I was very busy yesterday with a spelling bee, hence the lack of update after such comparative regularity. I got super anxious the first round and went out on my first word :D:D:D I'm happy the fanfiction world is so much simpler than the real world.**

* * *

 **Rodney Sanchez (18) Victor**

I woke up in a hospital bed. I looked around, only to see my bag open on a counter beside me. It was emptied out, and I figured my supplies had be returned to the Games Center or thrown away. Regardless, I thought I recognized the street I could see from my window, and I slowly realized that I probably could. My memory of the last while was groggy, but I knew I had been rushed here in an ambulance, rather than a hovercraft, and that I actually knew how to get around from where I was.

A nurse walked in soon after I woke up, and I assumed she was assigned to me. She got there pretty quickly. She asked me if I was all right, and I nodded.

"How long was I out?" I asked her. I tried to guess if it had been a long time or a short time. I had eaten plenty. I was hydrated. I just also had a huge stab wound in my chest. I guess anywhere from two days to a week.

"We kept you down for about two days to fix your chest. You were pretty healthy, as far as Victors go," the nurse replied, and I nodded. That seemed to make sense. I hadn't been through much.

While the nurse was checking my vitals, Doppler came in. He lurked around the room, clearly waiting for the nurse to leave. Once she did, he offered me a mirror. I held it in my hands apprehensively for a second. I didn't know what the Capitol would do to my face. Rybbon and Totsuki looked reasonably normal, but they had been reasonably attractive before the Games. I felt bad making Doppler wait for my response, so I braced myself and flipped the mirror around, staring at my own reflection.

 _Am I looking at me?_ My skin was multiple shades darker than it had once been, making me tan instead of my old pale-yellow. My jawline was more defined, and I was generally more muscular. I thought that was dumb on the Capitol's part. I didn't kill anyone with my muscles. My eyes didn't have bags anymore, but, more importantly, they had switched from their pale blue to one of the most intense, icy blues I had ever seen.

"That's me," I said, stunned.

"That's you. You can get up whenever you want. They kept you under until you were healthy," Doppler said. "Good job winning. You're a good Victor."

I stood up, ignoring Doppler's praise. I wanted to hurry to finish up anything I had to do before I could go home. Before I knew it, I was back down on my bed. "What was that?"

I looked at my legs, only to see that they were longer than they used to be. I didn't know how to balance with that, so I couldn't very well walk.

"By the way, the Capitol likes tall people. I think I heard something about six two? Anyways, it was a lot," Doppler said, chuckling. He helped me back onto my feet, supporting my weight. "You good?"

"I think so," I said, trying to balance. I put my arms out to my side and stayed standing, much to my surprise. "Can we get on with all of the fancy stuff? I want to go home."

* * *

 **Still Rodney**

"Everyone, let's give a big hand for our Victor, Rodney Sanchez!" Marcelene announced, giving me my cue to walk onto the stage. I stumbled on, quickly finding my seat. Doppler had been right; my new height was six feet and two inches, a full four inches taller than what I was used to. _Dang._

"So, what was your favorite part of the Games?" Marcelene asked me. I had to consider. Was it the part where I accidentally killed a young girl's friend, or the part where my friend died?

"I'd have to say the feast. I got tons of food there, and it was a really cool bed. Plus, it was cool to meet you," I said, deciding that would be a safe answer.

"Of course! Do you think you'll miss any of your allies?" _Nope. I hated those people. Glad they got killed._

"I think so. Kenzie was so nice, and Zeke helped me through a lot."

"I think that's enough of this interview. We all know our priority is the recaps!" Marcelene said, and I shrugged. That was one weak interview.

A screen flashed above us, and I watched a basic recap of what I had missed. A lot of it focused on me. It showed me killing Jack. It showed me killing Nacelle. It showed me running like the coward I was from the Careers after the feast ended. Parts of it weren't me, though. I saw Ashley and Scorcha's pillow fight. I saw Lumen quaking in his boots when the President approached him. I saw Mahi crying over Wolf. I had been able to forget about the others in the Arena, but the Capitol made me relive it all.

Finally, the screen showed the finale. I got to relive Kenzie shooting Mahi, only to be killed. I got to relive the horrible moment when Tourmaline started searching for a new entrance, and I got to relive the feeling of being stabbed through with a sword. I would never get that feeling out of my head. This time, I saw Tourmaline clearly when she was being shot. There was so much blood. I hadn't realized I had done that much to her before I finally killed her. I almost threw up, and I was grateful when the recaps ended.

The anthem of Panem played, and I jumped. I wasn't ready for anything sudden. Ginger walked onto the stage, holding a cushion with a crown on it. The crown had a red base, and in the front there was a golden eagle, surrounded by a gold ring. I recognized it immediately. My crown was the flag of Panem, the country that put me through this crud. I smiled when Ginger put the crown on me, and pretended to be happy with how it looked. As soon as I was off the stage, I took off the crown. It was a disgrace.


	53. Initation

**Rodney Sanchez (18) Still a Victor**

I was surprised when a bunch of Victors approached me. I knew I was one of them, but I didn't understand why there were nineteen of them in one place, or why they were all coming towards me. Doppler walked up to me in the front of the pack, and I tried not to take a step back. I had just gotten out of the Hunger Games. I was not ready to be approached by almost twenty people at once.

"Hey! We all came here because you're a new Victor. We generally do something with each Victor as a sort of welcome into this world of insanity. Rybbon made a quilt, for instance. You can choose whatever you want whenever you want. We're just here so that, if you have something planned, we can head off now. Better safe than sorry," Doppler said, keeping his distance. He seemed to be able to tell that I was worried.

"Are we able to get to the Games Building? I kind of have some unfinished business there," I said, already having an idea for where we were going to go. I didn't know if it was something conventional, but I didn't really care. It was what I needed to do.

"Yeah. That's the main attraction of the Capitol," Totsuki said. "Don't see why you'd want to go back there. Stores are better outside."

"Let's just go!" I was pretty anxious to get where I was going. I wasn't lying when I said I had unfinished business.

Satin Legrasse tried to lead the way to the Games Building, but I knew where it was just as well as she did. I had lived in the Capitol for over a week. I couldn't know all of it, but I knew a good chunk of it, especially the places that I had stayed in, like the building where I had found my most important murder weapons. I was walking at the same speed as Satin, and the other Victors had to hurry to keep up with us. Satin seemed to consider it a personal challenge to move more quickly than I could, and I took it as a personal challenge to beat her.

"And here we are!" Cassia said when we reached the Center. I nodded, going into the huge building. I knew exactly where I had to head in there, and the other Victors followed me without questioning me. Doppler seemed sure that I knew what I was doing, and I did.

"And here's the hospital," I said, walking into the room I had been in only once. My other supplies had come from training rooms, rooms unoccupied by patients. This place could be full of them.

"What are you doing here?" a nurse asked me when I walked into the waiting area.

"I'm wondering if I'd be allowed to visit patients. They might like to meet a Victor."

"I suppose you probably could. I'd have to accompany you, though. We don't need hooligans running around here," the nurse said, looking at me disapprovingly. I didn't look like a hooligan, but I could respect that.

"All right! Do you have a burn victim area?" I asked, crossing my fingers.

"We do. I can show you the way." I followed the nurse, hoping the patient I was looking for was still there. I gasped when I saw that she was.

"This couldn't be the beautiful little girl that Rodney Sanchez met earlier, could it?" I asked a little girl who was looking at me in confusion. "He says he's your biggest fan." The girl I was talking to furrowed her brows, and the other Victors began to disperse, realizing this was my final destination. I heard gasps from kids in other rooms as the Victors entered, loudly announcing themselves. I didn't care about all that. I was just waiting for the sweet little girl with the patched-up face to recognize me.

"You're... that kid that won the Games. You used to be paler," the girl said slowly, and I nodded. "You said I was beautiful. The most pretty girl you've ever seen."

I jumped up and nodded. "I most certainly did. I thought you were the prettiest thing I could see, but you're all patched up! You look even better now."

"Were you joking about being my biggest fan?"

"I most certainly was not. I hope you're a fan of me, because you're the first person I've visited under my new title of Victor," I said, smiling. I was happy the girl could recognize me, since I hardly looked like myself.

"I'm probably your biggest fan, too. You used to work in a hospital, right? It got mentioned in your interview," the girl said. I nodded. "Do you think you could visit me a lot? I don't get too many visitors."

I nodded. "I'll visit you as much as I can in the Capitol. Do you have a name? I'm not sure if Districts can write to the Capitol, but I'm a Victor, so I might get privileges."

"My name's Jia. Jia Rose. And you're Rodney Sanchez, which is a weird name, so I'll always know if I get one of your letters. I wouldn't know much about mail. The Capitol doesn't use it much. I've never gotten a letter before."

"Well, you are going to get your first letter soon. And I will keep writing them, and I will visit you every year to mentor, even though it'll get weird when you're an adult, too, and you're out of this hospital, so I'm wandering around the Capitol looking for one lovely Jia Rose."

"You should do that. And I'll try to visit you in the Victor's Village sometimes. Capitolites can do that."

"Yo, Rod. We gotta go soon. Victors always have something planned," Doppler said, peeking into the room I was in.

"All right. I will be back as soon as I can." I followed Doppler to wherever he was leading me, already planning my first letter. _Dear Jia, you helped me win the Games. I can't well repay you for that._ That was dumb. I would have to work quickly to think of better ideas. I had to send a letter as soon as possible.

* * *

 **Rodney had a party with the Victors after this and did something. They also chilled together. I just figured this was an important scene. Also, it turns out that in this universe Victors visit people like Make-a-Wish kids. Hope Jia doesn't die soon.**

 **Note: I do intend to try a Victor's Parade this story. It's my first one, so it might take a bit.**


	54. Victory Tour

**Rodney Sanchez**

 _Victory tour. Victory tour and then home sweet home._ I was ready to finally get back to my life, where I belonged. I just had to deal with a while of touring around, letting the Capitol flaunt me like some bauble, and then I could make it back to my family.

District One was not welcoming or calm when I got there. _Oh yeah. I killed both of your tributes. Whoops._ "Both of us lost due to these Games, and both of us lost personally because of each other. I lost Zeke, and you lost Tourmaline and Jack. I don't expect you to forgive me. I still do want to say that they seemed like cool people. They were fun to be around during the feast, and that was all I got to see of them." I noticed that there was almost no food out, and nobody cheered until I left.

Two was a lot calmer than one. I didn't kill their tributes. "Wolf was a brave soldier. I didn't see much of him, but I saw how much he loved his allies. He was a strong man, and he'll be missed. I really didn't see much of Valerie, which was probably for the better. That girl was a fighter." Two had better food than one, and was generally more jovial, but I knew they didn't want me there.

"I didn't really get to meet Lumen or Scorcha. Lumen talked to the President a lot, which is more than I can say. I know that they will both be missed, and that they truly are a loss." Three seemed to admire my courage in addressing those people as people. They were people, and I did wish they could still be alive.

"Most of my Games were spent away from Mahi and Halona. That was a blessing and a loss. I would be dead if I met them, but they also seemed cool. I saw Halona and Mahi mostly in training, and they seemed like honestly happy people." Four cheered when I got there, and I figured it was because they were the nicest of the Careers, and because I had well proven myself not to be a coward.

Five welcomed me, even though I killed one of their tributes. I couldn't imagine why. "Sorry about killing Nacelle. That really was an accident," I said, trying to seem somewhat casual. I wasn't crushed, but I was mildly upset. "I could tell from Kenzie about Nacelle how good of a guy Rotor was. His name starts with the same letter as mine, so he's cool." Five actually seemed reasonably happy to see me, and I figured they were just happy to see someone other than a Career win.

"Sparrow and I hardly saw each other. He seemed nice. I didn't really see Sarah, but Kenzie seemed to value her a lot. Kid hardly even met her, but she still seemed cool. They will be missed." Seven didn't seem upset to see me, but they didn't seem particularly happy. I was all right with that. I wasn't particularly happy to see them, either.

"Noil and Jeanie were pretty quiet. Kenzie's still my source, and she seemed to really like Jeanie. Kenzie's cool, so Jeanie is probably worth missing. I'll assume the same thing about Noil." I had no idea who Noil was. I had never met the kid in my life, and I was alive because he was dead. Eight had no reason to be mad at me, and they didn't seem to be. They feasted with me, and I actually had a good time there.

"I never really met Culic or Avena. Kenzie didn't have much to say about either of them, so I don't really know what to think of them. Neither of them killed me, which is nice." I was lying like a rug. Kenzie did speak about Avena, and she didn't particularly like her. Nine didn't know that, and they didn't need to know. I partied with them like my ally didn't hate their child.

"I have no words to describe Equius and Nepeta. I never really met them, but I could see that they were cool. Nepeta was so free-spirited, and Equius dealt with her so politely. They were great kids, and they'll be missed," I said to the citizens of Ten. Only one family seemed to be particularly sad, which confused me. I knew that they weren't siblings, since they had different last names. _Something is not right..._

"Darren was an absolutely great kid. He tried to explain everything about life to me, and it made no sense, but I could tell that he really cared. I hope his author person likes him. Sarah seemed really nice. She seemed to try to take care of the littlies, which I liked. They were a pleasure to be around." Eleven was still mourning their children, and I couldn't blame them. Those children were worth mourning.

"Scorpia seemed nice. She was very intent in all of her training, which makes sense, but some people slacked. I could tell she had something to prove, and I think she proved it. Zeke was an absolutely wonderful person. He kept his morals even through the Games, and he could have been here had he not. The Games hit him in the wrong place, and I will personally make sure he is never forgotten." Twelve cheered when I got there. I saw one person smiling and clapping, and a woman beside him staring at him with adoration I had never seen before. I let the applause run over me, figuring that I had almost earned that part.

* * *

 ** _General Time of Future_**

"All right, kids! Today we're going to learn about some alternatives to drugs. I understand that a lot of you can feel sad, or bored, or upset. I come from it from the point of view of all of those, so I know exactly what's going through some peoples' heads. I don't know what's going on with all of you, so if you feel differently, you'll have to tell me, and I will personally make sure to talk with you. Everybody deserves an outlet, and I'm making sure you get one.

"My outlet was killing people and watching all of my friends die. That's a really bad outlet. Don't do that. One outlet that I use now is painting. Whenever I want a high, I make a new painting. I generally do abstracts to express my feelings. Any art is a great outlet. You can make something beautiful without tearing apart your body. If other people like it, you might even make money instead of losing it. I'm no good at art, but people buy mine, because I'm a Victor. So that's cool. Another outlet is just talking with your families, or petting a cat, or writing stories. I will read anyone's stories, as long as it's not adult. You shouldn't be writing that anyways.

"So that's my basic overview. I only have a short spiel made, since I like to use most of my sessions for questions. Do any of you have any questions?" Only a couple of hands went up, which was a bad thing. We were about ten minutes into a forty minutes session. I picked a kid at random, prepping myself for any of a variety of questions.

"Why not do drugs?"

"Well, you get addicted. You lose money, lose contact with the Earth, and sometimes even die. So that's a bad thing," I replied, trying to sound serious. It was a serious topic. I picked another of the random hands.

"How did you stop?"

"A lot of sessions like these. My parents forced me into therapy, and I ended up liking it. I liked it so much that I became a rehab volunteer, and now I'm here, with Capitol funding. Pretty fancy." It was pretty fancy. I got to chat with a bunch of kids all day, and everyone encouraged it.

* * *

 **Here we have it. Rodney's talent is general childhood assistance (with anything, not just drugs) and painting. I do intend to do one more chapter, and then we're done!**

 **This is my first attempt at a Victory tour and epilogue, so tell me if it stank or anything. I need to improve somehow!**


	55. Obligatory Teaser

**Lumen Hal (17) D3M**

"I've been thinking about next year's Arena. Maybe it could just be rock. Force everyone to fight it out in three days, we don't have to deal with it for very long," Draco said to Vispasian. I was listening in, asked to provide an opinion on what the Districts would want. Draco didn't mind me being alive, and the other Gamemakers couldn't stop Ginger from doing what she wanted.

"We could just make the entire Arena a bunch of food. Hundreds of escape routes, too," I said, sarcastically. I had told Ginger multiple times that I wanted nothing to do with planning the Games, and that the Districts wanted nothing to do with them. She had insisted that I be there, and I assumed Ginger just wanted a breath of fresh air that most other people wouldn't provide during a formal meeting. I knew she wouldn't kill me. She missed her chance a while ago.

"I'm pretty sure that's against the rules of the Games. Anyways, we do need ideas. There are only so many basic biomes," Cordelia said. I smiled at the fact that I remembered her name. I was slowly getting used to everything the Capitol threw at me.

"I think just rocks might not be the best idea. It's too boring. What if we did one similar to this year's? No people involved, since that was a terrible idea. We lost three citizens. But we could do another easily livable area. That way people will have to fight it out, since no one can starve," Ginger said. I shrugged.

"Just make it easy on them. The Capitol was a great Arena. We got to meet people, and Capitolites saw people as a little bit human. So, another livable Arena sounds good," I said, figuring I may as well use all of what little power I had to make the world a better place.

"As Head Gamemaker, I feel obligated to point out that people will always starve. People are dumb. We should do something dumb, like a cat," Draco said. I shrugged. A cat would be humorous, even from a tribute's point of view.

"It's going to be livable. You have to decide how to make it so that people can survive in it. It doesn't have to be made of food, or anything, but it cannot be solid rock. For goodness sake. Meeting adjourned," Ginger said, and I sighed with relief. Meetings were boring. I stood up and followed the President out of the room.

"I have to go do a coronation. Be right back, don't go on stage. I _will_ still kill you," Ginger said. I shrugged. I wasn't that dumb.

I was dumb enough to lurk around for hope of getting a glimpse at the Victor. I stood around, waiting for the entire thing to be over. When it finally was, I waited for Rodney from behind the stage. He walked out, and I waved at him. He seemed like a fine Victor. I was happy he was alive. I was more happy that I was alive, and I figured the feeling was mutual. He waved at me, too. "Don't say anything," I mouthed to him. He nodded. There was no way he understood exactly what I had said, but I figured I got my point across. It wasn't hard to tell that I wasn't supposed to be alive.

* * *

 **Obligatory teaser chapter! I don't want to make the next Arena obvious, but I did drop a couple of hints. More importantly, Rodney knows that Lumen is alive now. He didn't mention it last time because of a reason I don't feel like making up. He was distracted by his humiliating crown.**

 **Also, I'm working on a collab. I am tentatively writing a story with Captain Randomness343, under the account Captain SilverFlower. It's always hard to get submissions, so... *cough* That's a side project, so have no fear if you're prepping a tribute for my next Games. 21 shall still happen.**

 **Important note on that story: If anyone submits, y'all should know that I'm doing even Districts and he's doing odds, so submit according to who you want to write your tribute.**


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